Sweetman Family Papers - National Library of Ireland lists/156_SweetmanPapers.pdf · Sweetman...

Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann National Library of Ireland

Collection List No. 156

Sweetman Family Papers

(MS 42,081 – 42,090; MS 47,525 – 47,616; MS L 172 – 194)

Accession No. 6751

This collection contains family and estate papers relating to members of the Sweetman family from the 18th to the 20th centuries, as well as some papers of the related O’Connor and Blake families. The collection also contains the political and professional papers of John Sweetman (1844-1936), which include material relating to Irish land agitations, Catholic education and missionary work, especially the Sweetman Catholic Colony in

Minnesota, the Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Féin and the Gaelic League. The collections include letters of Charles Stewart Parnell, Justin McCarthy, Timothy Healy,

John Redmond, Arthur Griffith, Douglas Hyde, D.P. Moran, Patrick Pearse, Fr. J.F. Sweetman O.S.B. as well as many prominent Catholic clergymen of the day.

Compiled by Dr Owen McGee and Harriet Wheelock, 2010

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 5

Blake and O’Connor Pedigree....................................................................................... 11

Brodie Family Pedigree .................................................................................................. 12

Sweetman Family Pedigree ............................................................................................ 13

PART ONE – SWEETMAN FAMILY PAPERS ........................................................ 14

I. Brodie, Blake and O’Connor Family Papers......................................................... 14 I.i. Genealogical Papers ........................................................................................... 14 I.ii. Family Papers and Correspondence .................................................................. 15 I.iii. Marriage Settlements and Testamentary Material ........................................... 16 I.iv. Financial Paper ................................................................................................. 18 I.v. Mount William Estate........................................................................................ 19

I.v.1. Estate accounts ......................................................................................... 19 I.v.2. Estate correspondence .............................................................................. 20 I.v.3. Case of Martin Blake v. Malachy O’Connor and others .......................... 21

I.v.3.a. Legal Papers..................................................................................... 21 I.v.3.b. Legal Correspondence ..................................................................... 22 I.v.3.c. Documents arising from the case..................................................... 22

II. Estate Papers ........................................................................................................... 24 II.i. Merrion Square, Dublin .................................................................................... 24 II.ii. Land holding pre-1869..................................................................................... 25 II.iii. Drumbaragh Estate, Kells, Co. Meath ............................................................ 26

II.iii.1. Leases, transfers and other legal documents.......................................... 26 II.iii.2. Financial Administration ....................................................................... 27

II.iii.2.a. Account Books .............................................................................. 27 II.iii.2.b. Loose Accounts and receipts ........................................................ 27 II.iii.2.c. Salaries and Labour....................................................................... 27 II.iii.2.d. Stock Accounts ............................................................................. 28

II.iii.3. Estate Correspondence........................................................................... 29 II.iii.4. Maps and Surveys .................................................................................. 31

III. Household Papers.................................................................................................. 33

III.i. Household Accounts ........................................................................................ 33 III.i.1. General Household Account Books........................................................ 33 III.i.2. Account books with tradesmen............................................................... 35 III.i.3. Summery Account Books ....................................................................... 35 III.i.4. Receipts................................................................................................... 36

III.ii. Servants........................................................................................................... 37 III.iii. Household Inventories................................................................................... 38 III.iv. Household Improvement................................................................................ 38

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III.v. Miscellaneous Household Papers ................................................................... 39

IV. Financial Papers .................................................................................................... 40 IV.i. Account Books and loose accounts ................................................................. 40 IV.ii. Stocks, Shares and Investments...................................................................... 41 IV.iii. Bank Accounts .............................................................................................. 42 IV.iv. Income Tax .................................................................................................... 43 IV.v. Correspondence .............................................................................................. 43

V. Legal Papers ............................................................................................................ 45 V.i. Marriage Settlement and Testamentary Material.............................................. 45 V.ii. Other legal documents ..................................................................................... 46 V.iii. Legal Cost....................................................................................................... 47

VI. Family Papers ........................................................................................................ 48 VI.i. Genealogical Papers ........................................................................................ 48 VI.ii. Honoria Sweetman, 1804-1879 ...................................................................... 49

VI.ii.1. Correspondence ..................................................................................... 49 VI.ii.2. Travel Journals and Receipts................................................................. 50 VI.ii.3. Other items ............................................................................................ 50

VI.iii. Honoria (Nora) Sweetman, b.1833................................................................ 51 VI.iv. Alicia Sweetman, 1834-1884 ........................................................................ 51 VI.v. Margaret Sweetman, 1839-1926..................................................................... 52 VI.vi. Janette Sweetman, and the daughters of John and Honoria Sweetman......... 53 VI.vii. John Sweetman and Agnes Hanly ................................................................ 54

VI.vii.1. Correspondence ................................................................................... 54 VI.vii.1.a. Letters from John Sweetman to his mother Honoria Sweetman 54 VI.vii.1.b. Correspondence between John, Agnes and their children.......... 55 VI.vii.1.c. Other family and personal correspondence of John Sweetman.. 55 VI.vii.1.d. Personal Correspondence of Agnes Sweetman .......................... 58

VI.vii.2. Other items .......................................................................................... 59 VI.viii. John Walter Sweetman, 1898-1961............................................................. 59 VI.ix. Malachi Sweetman ........................................................................................ 60 VI.x. Patrick Sweetman ........................................................................................... 60 VI.xi. William Sweetman ........................................................................................ 61 VI.xii. Honoria and Alicia Sweetman...................................................................... 61 VI.xiii. Walter Sweetman of Clohamon, 1833-1905 ............................................... 62 VI.xiv. John Andrew Sweetman .............................................................................. 64 VI.xv. John Oliver Sweetman.................................................................................. 65 VI.xvi. Other family papers ..................................................................................... 65

PART TWO – PAPERS OF JOHN SWEETMAN...................................................... 67

VII. Political Career..................................................................................................... 67 VII.i. Early political associations, 1866-67 ............................................................. 67 VII.ii. The land question, 1877-80........................................................................... 67 VII.iii. The Irish Parliamentary Party, 1884-1892................................................... 71 VII.iv. MP for Wicklow East, 1892-95.................................................................... 73

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VII.v. Political activities, 1897-1902....................................................................... 79 VII.vi. Meath County Council, 1899-1903.............................................................. 81 VII.vii. Irish County Councils’ General Council, 1899-1906 ................................. 82 VII.viii. The Gaelic League and the Irish-Ireland movement, 1899-1911 .............. 83 VII.ix. The Sinn Féin movement, 1904-1916.......................................................... 88 VII.x. The 1916 Rising and the reorganisation of Sinn Féin, 1916-18.................... 97 VII.xi. The 1918 General Election and the struggle for Independence ................. 100 VII.xii. The Irish Free State, 1922-36.................................................................... 103

VIII. Irish-American Colonisation Company ......................................................... 109 VIII.i. Organisational Papers ................................................................................. 109 VIII.ii. Publicity Material ...................................................................................... 111 VIII.iii. Requests for information and unsuccessful applications.......................... 112 VIII.iv. Successful applications ............................................................................. 114 VIII.v. Company Correspondence ......................................................................... 115 VIII.vi. Financial Papers ........................................................................................ 120 VIII.vii. Maps......................................................................................................... 122

IX. Great Southern and Western Railway controversy ......................................... 123

X. Professional correspondence................................................................................ 125 X.i. Minnesota Correspondence............................................................................. 125

X.i.1. General correspondence......................................................................... 125 X.i.2. Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony............................................................ 128 X.i.3. Letters from Fr. Georg Langel ............................................................... 131 X.i.4 Letters of Walter Sweetman of Minnesota ............................................. 132

X.ii. Religious Correspondence ............................................................................. 134 X.ii.1. Catholic Hierarchy and Maynooth College .......................................... 134 X.ii.2. Benedictines, including letters of Fr. J.F. Sweetman............................ 136 X.ii.3. Jesuits and Carmelites........................................................................... 139 X.ii.4. General religious correspondence......................................................... 140

XI. Newspaper cuttings ............................................................................................. 143 XI.i. Bound volumes .............................................................................................. 143 XI.ii. Loose cuttings............................................................................................... 144

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INTRODUCTION The Sweetman family The Sweetman family can trace its origins in Ireland back to the seventeenth century. During the mid-eighteenth century the family became prominent in Irish social and political life, not long after it established a successful brewery on Francis Street in Dublin city. The Sweetmans were related by marriage to a number of prominent Irish landed families, such as the Blake, Butler and Taaffe families. Central to the material in this collection is John Sweetman (1805-1859) who married Honoria O’Connor. Honoria O’Connor was the only daughter of a wealthy Dublin merchant Malachy O’Connor and his wife Lydia, née Brodie. Lydia had previously been married to Brian Blake, a cousin of her second husband Malachy. It was through the marriage of John and Honoria that the material relating to the Brodie, O’Connor and Blake family came into this collection. From 1869 the main estate of the Sweetman family was Drumbaragh near Kells, county Meath, as well as a town house on Merrion Square. The majority of the estate and household papers in this collection relate to the Drumbaragh estate from its purchase in 1869 to the sale by the family in 1958.

John Sweetman (1844-1936) A passionate and religious man with considerable energy, John was educated at Downside College, a Benedictine school in Somerset, England, up until the age of eighteen. Although he did not receive a university education, John’s positive experience of Benedictine schooling, as well as his friendship with his bookish half-uncle Walter Sweetman, an author of several philosophical works on religion, encouraged him to maintain a lifelong familiarity with learned Catholic journals. This helped him to develop a particularly keen mind that was fond of debating all matters, except when relating to religious doctrine. From the early 1900s until shortly before his death he was one of the most prolific and best-known letter writers to Irish newspapers on political and social matters. His fearless advocacy of whatever causes appeared to him as just at any one time often earned him the scorn and praise of his contemporaries in equal measure. Meanwhile the frequent singularity of his views caused some of his contemporaries to deem him as rather eccentric. Owing to his wealth and social standing within the Catholic community, John Sweetman was frequently invited to take part in politics but he usually exhibited distaste for doing so. His first foray into politics occurred during the mid-to-late 1870s when, upon taking over the full management of Drumbaragh from his mother (who died in 1879), he championed the idea of establishing a federation of farmers’ clubs across the country. He was present on the platform of the initial meeting of the Irish National Land League. He opposed its radicalism and support for the cause of home rule, however, identifying instead with the Irish wing of the Liberal party, for which he had considered running for parliament during 1878. At this time, he also had a particular admiration for the writings of John Stuart Mill.

Two years later, he was deflected from these political concerns when he answered a call of the American Catholic hierarchy for assistance in its efforts to establish ‘Catholic

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colonies’ in the western United States. After travelling to Minnesota during the summer of 1880, Sweetman became the Irish leader and general manager of the trans-Atlantic ‘Irish-American Colonisation Company’. During the early 1880s this company was responsible for transporting many families from Ireland and resettling them in Murray County, Minnesota. Settling in Minnesota, Sweetman devoted himself primarily to making a success of this project over the next decade, in the process helping to strengthen links between the Irish and American Catholic communities whilst personally developing lasting friendships with many Catholic clergymen. Sweetman’s acquaintances with Catholic clergymen not only included many senior Irish and American clergymen, but also clergymen in Britain and the continent, including members of the religious orders. He had also met both Pope Leo XIII and Saint Don Bosco during his visits to Italy. During the 1900s, he financed the efforts of Fr. J.F. Sweetman O.S.B. (his cousin) to found a significant Benedictine school in Gorey, Co. Wexford (Mount St. Benedicts) and he also worked to extend the influence of the religious orders in Ireland generally.

The establishment of a close alliance between Archbishop William Walsh of Dublin and the Irish Parliamentary Party persuaded Sweetman to follow the Catholic hierarchy during 1884-85 in giving vocal support to the cause of home rule for the first time. Thereafter Sweetman encouraged the great landowners to do likewise, believing that this was necessary to maintain social homogeneity within Ireland. Encouraged by the clergy to stand for Westminster, Sweetman sought (whilst still a resident in Minnesota) an Irish parliamentary nomination during 1885 and 1890 but his appeal was rejected by Charles Stewart Parnell on both occasions. He was, however, admitted as a member of the Reform Club in London with the help of an uncle and he remained an influential figure within Ireland. Upon the split in Parnell’s party during 1890-91 Sweetman offered extensive funding to the ‘anti-Parnellite’ wing of party, became a major shareholder in Timothy Healy’s National Press and was also admitted to the executive of the Irish National Federation. He returned to Ireland in early 1892 to accept the nomination as MP for Wicklow East and won the seat. His career in parliament, however, was brief and controversial. He spoke rarely in the House of Commons and instigated a backbenchers’ revolt within the Irish Party after the defeat of the second home rule bill and the retirement of W.E. Gladstone. He called on the party to break its alliance with the Liberal party and also demanded that the Irish Party leadership call upon the government to resign due to its failure to deliver home rule. This disloyalty to the party leadership made him very unpopular within the party and with its supporters generally. Consequently he resigned his seat in May 1895. He stood unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for Meath a couple of months later. During the remainder of the decade he was associated, albeit distantly, with John Redmond’s faction within the Irish Party, contributed articles to Fr. T.A. Finlay’s New Ireland Review and he would also take a prominent role in establishing the Irish Financial Reform League, which protested against the over-taxation of Ireland. Although he had relatives who were senior officers in the British army, Sweetman also attracted considerable attention by supporting the pro-Boer and anti-enlistment campaigns in conjunction with many of the younger Catholic clergy. A vice-chairman (1899-1901) and subsequently chairman of Meath County Council (1902-08), Sweetman was a leading figure in the establishment of the ‘General Council

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of County Councils’. He served as its vice-president during the early 1900s and argued frequently that this federation of senior county council officials should be allowed to take over many of the administrative functions of Dublin Castle. With the encouragement of members of the religious orders, he became a very generous and enthusiastic supporter of the Gaelic League around this time, despite not knowing the Irish language. Sweetman’s enthusiasm for the Gaelic League was motivated by his awareness that if the Catholic Church and Catholic schools took the lead in promoting the language, this could provide a means of rallying Irish nationalists behind the Church and so strengthen its hand in wresting, or keeping, control of the education system away from the state. His enthusiasm for this goal, however, made Sweetman hypersensitive to any hint of criticisms of clergymen emerging within the Gaelic League, frequently calling for the censorship of opinions to a degree that alienated some contemporaries. Sweetman’s fear of being potentially responsible for instigating divisions of any kind within the Irish Catholic community also played a significant role in shaping his style of leadership of Sinn Féin.

Together with his friend Edward Martyn, Sweetman reacted enthusiastically to Arthur Griffith’s series of articles on Hungary in the United Irishman. Subsequently, they financed the publication of these articles as the successful pamphlet The Resurrection of Hungary (1904). Thereafter Sweetman not only began financing Griffith’s journal, which depended on this support for its survival, he also wrote a series of Sinn Féin pamphlets himself. Sweetman served as the first vice-president of Sinn Féin from 1906-07 before becoming its second president (replacing Martyn) in 1908; a position he held until 1910-11. He spoke a number of times on public platforms in support of its programme but his fear of disrupting social homogeneity within the Catholic community dissuaded him from attempting to mobilise any effective political opposition to the Irish Parliamentary Party, considering that Sinn Féin should play only a social and educational role. Despite differing attitudes on this and other significant matters, Sweetman’s relationship with Arthur Griffith was generally cordial, not least because of the latter’s almost complete dependence upon his patronage. The two men may not have remained in close contact after the outbreak of the First World War.

During the 1910s Sweetman’s well-established reputation for conservatism grew not only due to his continued opposition to granting women access to higher education but also because of his strident criticisms of labour radicalism. Inspired by the Pope’s anti-war declarations, during 1915 he was one of the first Irishmen to speak out against the possibility of conscription being introduced into the country. This may have influenced Dublin Castle’s decision to arrest him in the wake of the 1916 rising, although he would be released within just a fortnight partly due to the intervention of both Sir Edward Carson and John Dillon.

During 1917-18 Sweetman supported Herbert Pim and Darrel Figgis in pushing for a revival of Sinn Féin. He was chosen as the Sinn Fein candidate for North Wexford in the run up the 1918 general election but declined due to his advanced age (he was seventy-four), the seat going instead to his cousin Roger. Although willing to offer some vocal support to the demand for complete separation, the intensity of the Troubles also encouraged Sweetman to accept invitations to attend meetings of the Irish Dominion

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League during 1920-21 and he supported the establishment of the Irish Free State. By the mid-1920s, however, he was expressing strong opposition to the government’s free-trade policies, accusing the government of indifference to the poor and latent British imperialism. He resigned his honorary membership of the central branch of Cumann na nGaedhael in January 1928 and thereafter considered funding the establishment of an alternative, centrist and protectionist party in Irish politics. By 1930, however, his growing admiration for what he saw as Eamon DeValera’s Christian statesmanship prompted him to overcome his aversion to Fianna Fáil and to support that party, which he joined in 1932. His son William was already working for the London office of the Irish Press. John Sweetman died on 8 September 1936 at the age of ninety-two. He had married Agnes Hanly of Navan, county Meath, in September 1895 and was survived by his wife (who died in November 1936), his four sons and two daughters. The Papers This collection was purchased by the National Library of Ireland in April 2008. The principle classes of documents in the collection are letters, financial and administrative papers, newspaper cuttings and some legal documents, mainly marriage settlements and testamentary material. The material covers the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, the earliest document is from 1772 and the latest from 1998. The majority of the material covers the period from the marriage of John Sweetman senior and Honoria O’Connor in 1831 to the death of their son John Sweetman in 1936. The collection is contained in 49 boxes, 15 outsized folders, 10 bound volumes and 8 map boxes. The material is generally in good condition, although some of the carbon-copies have faded considerably and some of the volumes have damage to their spines. Where this is the case it has been noted in the list. Two items have been removed from the collections for conservation reasons, a collection of negatives and a very badly fragmented map; this is also noted in the list. Arrangement The original order of the collections has been largely lost. Given the nature of the material the collection has been divided into two parts. The first part deals with the personal and family papers of members of the Sweetman family, including John Sweetman. The Sweetman family papers have been divided into six sub-groups; the first contains the papers of the Brodie, Blake and O’Connor family; the second Sweetman family estate papers; the third Sweetman family household papers; the fourth financial papers of the Sweetman family; the fifth the legal papers of the Sweetman family, and the sixth personal papers of the Sweetman family, divided and arranged by individual family members. The second part of the list deals with the papers created by John Sweetman in his professional and political roles. This part of the list has been divided into five sub-groups; papers relating to Sweetman’s political career; the papers of the Irish-American Colonisation Company; papers relating to the Great Southern and Western Railway controversy; Sweetman’s professional correspondence; and finally newspaper cuttings relating to Sweetman’s public roles.

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Given that material relating to John Sweetman appears in both parts of this list, it is necessary to ensure that both parts are checked to ensure all relevant material is found. This is particularly the case when looking at John Sweetman’s correspondence as he often corresponded with members of his family on political as well as personal matters, especially Fr. John Francis Sweetman and Walter Sweetman. Assessment Scope and content As the names of his correspondents testify, the John Sweetman papers contain particularly valuable material regarding the history of the Sinn Fein party and the Irish-Ireland movement prior to 1916, as well as significant information on the controversies within the Irish Parliamentary Party during the 1890s. Meanwhile, Sweetman’s general correspondence and his letters to the press (including his bound volumes of newspaper-cuttings) cover a very broad spectrum of the political debates that took place in Ireland during his lifetime. The records of the Irish-American Colonisation Company provide valuable information about the history of assisted emigration schemes in nineteenth-century Ireland as well as the significant role that Irishmen played in voluntary religious work within the international Catholic community. Aside from letters of members of the Irish and American Catholic hierarchies, Sweetman’s religious correspondence includes a few letters to or from the founders of the Salesian Order in Italy (Saint Don Bosco and Blessed Michael Rua) as well as many letters from members of the Benedictine Order. These include many letters from, or relating to, his cousin Fr. J.F. Sweetman O.S.B. who was the founder of Mount Saint Benedicts in Gorey, county Wexford and a man who was considered by many to be a significant figure in the history of twentieth-century Irish education generally. The Sweetman family papers contain a fascinating insight into the life of a prominent Catholic family in the nineteenth century. Honoria Sweetman kept enormously detailed accounts of all of her household expenses, and this is further supported by the detailed estate papers. These financial papers are supported by the smaller collection of family correspondence and diaries, from members in Ireland, Britain and America, which give an insight into the families’ personal lives. The collection is a valuable record of the social, cultural and economic activities of a class whose contribution to Irish society was sometimes forgotten or overlooked in the wake of the achievement of political independence. Associated Materials The Department of Manuscripts of the National Library of Ireland holds twenty-three volumes of news-cuttings, photographs and documents of Fr. J.F. Sweetman O.S.B. (1874-1953). These volumes contain many references to Eamon DeValera, Catholic religious matters, the theatre and the cinema from c.1920-1950. These volumes were created by Sean Cullen during the 1980s; the reference for this material is MS 23,286-23,308.

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Richard Hayes’ catalogue of articles in Irish periodicals as part of his edited series on Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation (1965) (available online at http://sources.nli.ie/) lists references for a number of journal articles that were written by members of the Sweetman family during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Copies of most of these journals are available for consultation in the Main Reading Room of the National Library of Ireland.

The National Archives of Ireland holds a collection of the personal papers of Agnes Sweetman, nee Hanly, wife of John Sweetman. The majority of the material in the collection is personal and family correspondence, but there are also documents relating to household furnishings and home crafts. The reference numbers for this material is 1190/1-35, further details are given in The Directory of Sources for the History of Women in Ireland, available on their website (www.nationalarchives.ie). The Department of Special Collections in the Hesburgh Library of the University of Notre Dame in Illinois, U.S.A., holds a collection entitled ‘The Sweetman Family Library’. This consists of many books (some dating back to the eighteenth century) as well as bound sets of review magazines that were originally the property of Walter Sweetman (1833-1905). This collection was donated to the University of Notre Dame by the family of Richard Sweetman of Sioux Falls, South Dakota during 1997. Bibliographical References Liam Chambers, ‘John Sweetman (1752-1826), Irish nationalist and brewer’, in the on-line edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004-09) Bernard Burke, Burke’s Landed Gentry of Ireland (4th ed., London, 1958), p.673 H. Montgomery-Massingberd (ed.) Burke’s Irish Family Records (London, 1976), pp1080-81 Alice E. Smith, ‘The Sweetman Irish Colony’, Minnesota History (vol.9, no.4, Dec. 1928), pp 331-46 Patrick Maume, The long gestation: Irish nationalist life 1891-1918 (Dublin, 1999)

http://sources.nli.ie/

http://www.nationalarchives.ie/

Blake and O’Connor Pedigree

(showing individuals mentioned in the collection only)

Bryan O’Connor

Hugh O’Connor = Honoria Browne Celia O’Connor = Henry Blake d.1783 d.1771 Valentine = Mary Moore Malachy = Lydia Brodie = Bryan Blake Martin Blake Monica O’Connor = Hugh O’Connor d. 1814 1753-1820 1775-1868 d.1801 d.1799 Hugh Mary = Maurice Blake Honoria O’Connor = John Sweetman Hugh Valentine Malachy d.1815 1804-1879 1805 - 1859 Ann Blake Cecilia Blake Martin Blake Valentine Blake d.1838 d.1826 Valentine O’Connor Blake Mary Blake Honoria Blake

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Brodie Family Pedigree (showing individuals mentioned in the collection only)

Alexander Brodie = Anne Kidder Michael Kidder 1738-1800 1730-1801 Dr Alexander Brodie = Anna Walter Mary Brodie = Robert McNish Bryan Blake = Lydia Brodie = Malachy O’Connor 1773-1828 b.1779 1770-1819 1755-1828 d.1801 1775-1868 1753-1820 William Frederick Emma = James Grace Brodie George McNish Honoria O’Connor = John Sweetman b.1819 b.1823 b.1805 b.1810 1804-1879 1805-1859

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Sweetman Family Pedigree (showing individuals mentioned in the collection only)

Alicia Taaffe = Michael Sweetman = Margaret Blackney b.c. 1780 1779-1852

Patrick Sweetman = Mary Cashin John Sweetman senior = Honoria O’Connor Walter Sweetman = Mary Butler

1803-1885 1805-1859 1804-1879 1831-1905 John = Agnes Hanly Honoria Alicia Cecilia Margaret Janette Walter 1844-1936 d.1936 b.1833 1834-1884 1837-1875 1839-1926 1843-1875 1889-1963 John Walter = Olivia ‘Susie’ Dudley Malachi Patrick = Ivy William = Polly Honoria Alicia b.1898 John Oliver = Elmah Young John junior

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PART ONE – SWEETMAN FAMILY PAPERS

I. Brodie, Blake and O’Connor Family Papers This section contains the paper of the Brodie, Blake and O’Connor families, who were related to the Sweetmans through the marriage of Honoria O’Connor to John Sweetman senior. Central to these papers is Lydia Brodie, born in 1775, the daughter of Alexander Brodie and Ann Kidder. In 1791 Lydia married Bryan Blake, by who she had four children; Martin, Valentine, Anne, and Cecilia. Bryan Blake died in 1801, and two years later Lydia married his cousin Malachy O’Connor. They had one child, the Honoria O’Connor who married John Sweetman senior. Malachy O’Connor died in 1820, and Lydia in 1868. The papers have been divided into five sections; genealogical papers, family papers, marriage settlements and testamentary material, financial papers and papers relating to the Mount William Estate. Within each section the records are arranged chronologically. The majority of the papers relate to the Mount William Estate in Antigua, and the complicated and protracted law suit over ownership.

I.i. Genealogical Papers MS 47,525 /1 1772, 1919, 1926-7, and undated

Papers relating to O’Connor family history; • Letter to Malachy O’Connor dated Sep 1772 about his family

history, with a draft letter by John Sweetman to Mr Walshe about the same; 1772 and 1919

• Newspaper cuttings from The Tuam Herald covering local history and the O’Connor family, with related letters to John Sweetman; 1926-7

• Notes made by Lydia O’Connor outlining important dates in history of Blake, Brodie and O’Connor family 1793-1848; undated

• Two copies of Pedigrees of the families of O’Connor-Hency of Stonebrook and O’Conor of Sylan; undated

• O’Connor family pedigrees in various hands; undated c.25 items

MS 47,525 /2 1817 Certified copy of certificates of baptism of Ann, Cecilia and Martin Blake on 4 June 1800 in St John’s Parish in Antique, with details of dates of birth; 1p

MS L 172 1862 Genealogy of the Brodie family from Malcolm, Thane of Brodie, temp Alexander II AD 1249-85, to the year 1862. Compiled by William Brodie; 1 item

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MS 47,525 /3 1895-1912

Letters to John Sweetman, correspondences include V Hussy Welsh, relating to O’Connor family history, with three handwritten family trees; 20 items

MS 47,525 /4 Undated Photocopy of handwritten ‘Requiem mass in Galway Cathedral for Madeline St John Blake’; 6pp

I.ii. Family Papers and Correspondence

This section contains the small collection of personal papers and correspondence of the Blake and O’Connor families. Due to the lengthy legal dispute over the Mount William Estate which involved many family members, many letters touch on both personal and legal matters. The letters which are mainly about family matters can be found in this section, additional letters can be found in section I.iv.3.b. Legal Correspondence which contain some family information, although their contents is predominantly legal in character. The collection contains some letters to, or relating to, Honoria O’Connor as a child. However, the personal papers of Honoria after her marriage into the Sweetman family can be found in section VI.ii. Honoria Sweetman, with the personal papers of the Sweetman family as this is where they were found. There is one exception to this in the letters of Bathsud Vernon to Honoria Sweetman, as this are about Lydia O’Connor and not the Sweetman family. MS 47,525 /5 1787

Copy book of Lydia Brodie containing arithmetic exercises; c.60pp

MS 47,525 /6-7

1803-1828 Letters to Lydia O’Connor from her brother Dr Alexander Brodie concerning family, financial and legal matters. With copy will of their mother Anne Brodie, 1801-1803. Also includes a letter from Brodie to Honoria O’Connor and one to Cecilia Blake; 27 items in 2 folders

MS 47,525 /8 1805, undated Miscellaneous notes of household expenses and furniture by Lydia O’Connor; 5pp

MS 47,525 /9 1805, 1816-1818 Letters from Dr Alexander Brodie to his brother-in-law Malachy O’Connor concerning family matters, with some discussion of financial and legal matters. With one reply, mentions William Wilberforce and slavery; 7 items

MS 47,526 /1 1812-1820

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Letters to Honoria O’Connor from her father Malachy O’Connor, sent while she was at school in Taunton, Somerset, and relate to her school, family matters, religion and her father’s health. Includes one letter from her mother Lydia O’Connor; 14 items

MS 47,526 /2 1812-1831, 1844 Letters to Malachy O’Connor and his daughter Honoria O’Connor from Winifred Teresa Berington, Frances Teresa Bird, Jane Frances Howse and Mary Bernadine McNeal, all at her convent school Taunton Lodge concerning Honoria’s guardianship, the death of her father and her marriage; 8 items

MS 47,526 /3 1830, undated Letters to Honoria O’Connor from her half sister Cecilia Blake; 3 items

MS 47,526 /4 1851, 1859 Letters to Honoria Sweetman (nee O’Connor) and her daughter Nora Sweetman from Lydia O’Connor; 2 items

MS 47,526 /5 1858-67, undated Letters to Lydia O’Connor from her nephews William Brodie and Frederick Brodie, and her niece Emma Grace, with one copy reply; 11 items

MS 47,526 /6 1866 –1867 Letters to Honoria Sweetman (nee O’Connor) from Bathsua Vernon [Lydia O’Connor’s companion] reporting news of Lydia O’Connor’s residence in Bath and her health; c.40pp

I.iii. Marriage Settlements and Testamentary Material

This section contains the marriage settlement, wills and trusts created by members of the Blake and O’Connor family, including related correspondence and papers. The marriage settlement of Honoria O’Connor and John Sweetman was found with the Sweetman papers, and was kept there, it can be found in section V.i. Marriage Settlement and Testamentary Material MS 47,527 /1 1795

Letter from Bryan Blake concerning the will of Thomas Kidder, uncle of his wife Lydia Blake nee Brodie; 3pp

MS 47,527 /2 1795, 1800 Copy wills of Robert McKinlay (Antigua merchant), 1800, and Henry Sharpe (St Vincent), 1795; 2 items

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MS 47,527 /3 1799 Will of Martin Blake, the brother of Bryan Blake; 3 pp

MS 47,527 /4 1800, 1802 Copy will of Bryan Blake with copy exemplification of probate; 3 items

MS 47,527 /5 1803 Marriage settlement of Malachy O’Connor and Lydia Blake (nee Brodie); 2 membranes

MS 47,528 /1 1813 Copy will of Valentine O’Connor, died 1814; 3 items

MS 47,528 /2 1815 Copy will of Hugh O’Connor, son of Valentine O’Connor; 3 items

MS 47,528 /3 1820-29 Copy will of Malachy O’Connor (1820), with copy ‘accounts connected with my executorships to the estate of Malachy O’Connor’ created by Thomas Aston; 4 items

MS 47,528 /4 1824-1830 Letters to Honoria O’Connor from G. Guillonneau, Freshfield & Sons, and others concerning the trust established by the will of her father Malachy O’Connor; 7 items

MS 47,528 /5 1826, 1831 Letter to Miss [Honoria] O’Connor from Thomas Aston relating to the administration of the estate of Malachy O’Connor. Accounts from Freshfield & Son for transfer of funds of the late Malachy O’Connor to Honoria O’Connor and Col. Hill, with covering letter; 2 items

MS 47,528 /6 [1826] Will of Martin Blake, leaving his interest in the Mount William estate to his sister Cecilia Blake, and appointing her his executor; 3 pp

MS 47,528 /7 1826-60 Copy release by Cecilia Blake and Honoria O’Connor of Thomas Aston (sole surviving executor and trustee of Malachy O’Connor’s will) from the affairs of Malachy O’Connor, deceased. With Declaration of Trust concerning the transfer of stock by Aston to Honoria O’Connor and Edward Hill, with related letters; 7 items

MS 47,529 /1 1829-1830 Letters to Honoria O’Connor from Luke Callaghan concerning the trust

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created by her father’s will; 8 items

MS 47,529 /2 1834 Letters from Cecilia Blake to John Sweetman, with one copy reply, relating to financial matters arising from the administration of the estate of [Michael] Blake, and monies due to Mr Cosgrave. Includes related letter from Cecilia Blake to Mr Irwin; 7pp

MS 47,529 /3 1834 Copies of letters by Cecilia Blake to Mr Freeman (solicitor) concerning her will, with a copy of her will; 5 items

MS 47,529 /4 1839 Letters to John Sweetman from Thom[as] Howie about a debt due to him from the late Bryan Blake; 2 items

MS 47,529 /5 1867 Letter to Mrs [Lydia] O’Connor from R W Pierpoint about a legacy of £100 left to her by [her late mother Anne Brodie nee Kidder]; 2pp

MS 47,529 /6 1868 Papers relating to the administration of the estate of Lydia O’Conner, including grant of probate to Honoria Sweetman, completed Inland Revenue Account form, and accounts from Messers Little & Little (solicitors) relating to the administration of the estate; 4 items

MS 47,529 /7 1869 Legacy receipt for payment of £8,070.12.9 to Honoria Sweetman as residual legate of Malachy O’Connor on the death of the life tenant Lydia O’Connor; 1 p

I.iv. Financial Paper

MS 47,530 /1 1821-1868

Notices of dividends on annuities sent to Lydia O’Connor; c. 75pp

MS 47,530 /2-3

1825-68 6 small notebooks showing accounts of Lydia O’Connor, Honoria O’Connor and Cecelia Blake with Messers Martin, Stone & Stone, with related letters; 12 items in 2 folders

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I.v. Mount William Estate From 1787 Bryan Blake was living with his family in Antigua where he acted as agent for his cousins Malachy and Valentine O’Connor, Dublin merchants with trade in the West Indies. In 1798 Blake bought the estate of Mount William on St. Vincent’s Island, borrowing heavily from his cousins to do so. By 1801 the O’Connor brothers were increasingly worried about the debts owed to them by Blake, and Blake mortgaged the estate to Valentine and Malachy for £12,000 in part payment of the debts. Blake died in 1801, and in a non-legally binding Will appointed Malachy and Valentine as his executors and guardians of his children, to whom he left his property. The O’Connor brothers sent their nephew Hugh O’Connor to St. Vincent’s to recover the debts owed to them. Hugh had Blake’s will proved invalid, and his estate therefore passed to his eldest son Martin, a minor. The Antiguan courts ordered the sale of Mount William Estate to pay Bryan Blake’s debt, and it was purchased at an open sale by Hugh O’Connor, who then made it over in trust to his uncles Malachy and Valentine (who held one and two thirds respectively). Valentine died in 1814 leaving his share of the estate to his son Hugh, who died the following year, the property then passed Valentine’s grandson Valentine O’Connor Blake. Malachy who died in 1820 left his one third share of the estate in trust, his wife Lydia was to enjoy the income of the estate for her life, and his daughter Honoria was to have the revision on her mother’s death. In 1816 Martin Blake, son of Bryan, filled a bill of complaint against Valentine O’Connor and others. He maintained that the sale of the estate in 1801 had been illegal and fraudulent, and that the property should revert to him as the eldest son and heir of Bryan Blake. The case had not been decided by Martin’s death in 1826 and was carried on by his sister and heir Cecilia Blake, until its final resolution in 1833.

I.v.1. Estate accounts MS 47,530 /4 1792-1798

Affidavit of James Knight, an employee of Joseph Warner, a West Indies Merchant, with related accounts. Also includes a letter related to the purchase of the estate of Henry Sharpe and Samuel Parker Clapham; 2 items

MS 47,530 /5 1800-1842 Accounts and receipts relating to the Mount William estate and legal fees; 23 items

MS 47,530 /6 1802-1825 ‘Abstract of the quantity of sugars recd from Mount William estate sold by Messers O’Connor’; 6 items

MS 47,530 /7 1847-1863 Pass book containing Mount William estate accounts kept by Honoria Sweetman; 25pp

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MS L 173 1848 -1853, undated

Monthly journal sheets of the Mount William Estate for the period October 1848 to September 1853 (sheets for April 1851, August 1852 and June 1853 are missing). Details entered include cultivation, livestock and produce accounts, supplies purchased, details of white, ‘negro’ and emigrant or transient workers and their duties. Also includes several undated journal sheets, and some miscellaneous sheets of accounts; 65 items

I.v.2. Estate correspondence

MS 47,530 /8 1842-63

Letter books containing copies of letters by Lydia O’Connor concerning the management of the Mount William estate; 2 vols

MS 47,531 /1 1860-4 Letters to Lydia O’Connor about the profitability and rental of the Mount William estates, including notes in her own hand on the advice of J B Smith on same subject; 4 items

MS 47,531 /2-6

1860-1869, undated Letters to Lydia O’Connor (many are copies made by her and sent to Honoria Sweetman) from J B Smith & Co (agents), George M Brown (attorney), E A Hadley, Francis Bedwell, Andrew Cumming, H Freeman, J V McDowell and other relating to the lease of the Mount William Estate. Includes letters from Lydia O’Connor to her daughter Honoria Sweetman, with some copy replies, and some from her nephew Brodie George McNish on the same subject. Also includes letters to Honoria Sweetman, written after the death of her mother in 1868, relating to the sale of the Mount William Estate; 95 items in 5 folders

MS 47,531 /7 1868-1869 Letter to Honoria Sweetman from Smyth & Barry and Little & Little relating to the sale of the Mount William Estate and the final settlement of the legal dispute over the estate, includes copy letter from Freshfield (Solicitors) to Smyth & Barry on same subject; 5 items

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I.v.3. Case of Martin Blake v. Malachy O’Connor and others This section contains the papers relating to the case of Martin Blake v. Malachy O’Connor over the disputed ownership of the Mount William estate. The case was first heard in the Count of Chancery of Ireland, and an appeal made to the House of Lords. Blake maintained the sale of the estate in 1801 was fraudulent and that it should revert to him. Between 1801 and 1816 when the case started ownership had passed though the hands of various members of the O’Connor family through the wills of Valentine and Hugh O’Connor. The case was further complicated by the death of Malachy O’Connor in 1820, and Martin Blake in 1826, when his claim passed to his sister Cecilia Blake. Family wills formed an important part of the case and these can be found in Section I.iii. Marriage Settlements and Testamentary Material, notably the will of Bryan and Martin Blake, Valentine, Malachy and Hugh O’Connor.

I.v.3.a. Legal Papers MS 47,531 /9 1821

Chancery case, attested copy decree; 33pp

MS 47,531 /10 1826 Papers in the chancery case;

• Attested copy defendants discharge of Valentine O’Connor Blake, 7 July 1826

• Copy decree, 13 November 1826 • Copy of Plaintiffs charge under the decrees in the case

3 items

MS 47,532 /1 1830 Attested copy report of case in chancery, 4 November 1830; 26pp

MS 47,532 /2 [1830s] Printed cases to be heard in the House of Lords;

• Case of the Respondents Hugh O’Connor, Edward Moore, Valentine O’Connor, and Malachy O’Connor

• Case of the Respondents Maurice Blake, Valentine O’Connor Blake, Mary and Honoria Blake, with appendix to the case

• Case of the Respondents John Webbe Weston, Thomas Aston and Honoria O’Connor (an infant), two versions

• The Appellant’s Case, with appendix 7 items

MS L 174 1833 Chancery attested copy report, 5 November 1833; 15pp

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I.v.3.b. Legal Correspondence This section contains the correspondence relating to the suit over the Mount William Estate. As the estate involved many members of the family some of the correspondence deals with both family and legal matters for this reason it is also worth look at section I.ii. Family Papers and Correspondence MS 47,532 /3 1814-1828

Letter book containing copies of letters written by Malachy O’Connor, Lydia O’Connor, Martin Blake and Cecilia Blake; c. 350pp

MS 47,532 /4 1819-1820 Letters from Malachy O’Connor to his step-daughter Cecilia Blake; 5 items

MS 47,532 /5 1819-1820 Letter book containing copies of letters written by Malachy O’Connor; c. 20pp

MS 47,533 /1-2

1819-1821 Letters to Martin Blake from his step-father Malachy O’Connor concerning legal matters. With one letter from Thomas Aston and three from his uncle Dr Alexander Brodie; 27 items in 2 folders

MS 47,533 /3 1824-1831 Letters to Honoria O’Connor from Thomas Aston, with related accounts, concerning legal and financial matters; 21 items

MS 47,533 /4 1828 Copies of letters from Cecilia Blake to Col. Hill and others, one loose sheet from a larger collection; 1p

MS 47,533 /5 1828-30 Letters to Honoria O’Connor from Col. Edward Hill relating to financial and legal matters; 8 items

MS 47,533 /6 1828-1838 Letter books containing copies of letters written by Cecilia Blake; 3 volumes

I.v.3.c. Documents arising from the case

MS 47,533 /7 1831

Release by Honoria O’Connor and her intended husband John Sweetman of Cecilia Blake from actions arising from the lawsuit of

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Martin Blake v. Valentine O’Connor and other, and the will of Malachy O’Connor; 2 pp

MS 47,533 /8 1834 Declaration of trust by Cecilia Blake and Lydia O’Connor relating to the latter’s one third share in profits of the Mount William estate, due to her under the will of Martin Blake and proved in case of Martin Blake v. Valentine O’Connor. Share had been transferred into 3½% annuities, and Lydia O’Connor releases Cecilia Blake from any further claims on estate; 3 pp

MS 47,533 /9 1834 Deed of release by Cecilia Blake of John Aston, John Sweetman and Honoria Sweetman (as representatives of the late Malachy O’Connor) from payment of legacy of £7,903 owed to Cecilia Blake from the estate of Malachy O’Connor as proved in the lawsuit. With release by John and Honoria Sweetman of Cecilia Blake of same sum due to Honoria Sweetman under the will of her brother Martin Blake; 2 copies of 2pp each

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II. Estate Papers This section contains the papers relating to the Sweetman family estates. The material has been divided into three sections, the first dealing with their Dublin house on Merrion Square, the second with other lands owned by the family before 1869, the third and largest section deals with the material relating to the Drumbaragh Estate in county Meath, which the family purchased in 1869 and remained the main family property until its sale in 1958. The Drumbaragh material has been further divided by record type, within each section the records are arranged chronologically. Papers relating to improvements to the houses on Merrion Square and at Drumbaragh can be found in section III.iv. Household Improvement

II.i. Merrion Square, Dublin MS 47,534 /1 1891-1903

Letters regarding the cost of making improvements to 47 Merrion Sq., as well as the lease on this house (1903), with some letters relating to dues to the Dublin Ratepayers Association (1894). Also included is a letter (1 Apr. 1900) providing recommendations for security at 47 Merrion Sq. for the duration of the Queen’s visit; 24 items

MS 47,534 /2 1891 Copy letter from John Sweetman to Messers Battersby & Co agreeing to an extension of Mr. Coppinger’s lease on 47 Merrion Sq. 11 March 1891; 1 item

MS 47,534 /3 1912 Letters regarding the extension of the lease of 47 Merrion Square. 20 March-3 April 1912; 6 items

MS 47,534 /4 1925-1928 Letters and documents regarding the lease of 47 Merrion Square and legal costs involved. Also, some letters regarding home improvements; 39 items

MS 47,534 /5 1928 A circular letter from the Commissioners of Merrion Square, recommending a residents’ collection to make improvements to the park. Also, a copy of Sweetman’s reply, and a letter to and from John Arnott (resident), in which Sweetman suggests government intervention to turn the square into a public park; 4 items

MS 47,534 /6 1930 A copy of a Sweetman letter to the Irish Independent (unpublished), suggesting that the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin was misguided in

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purchasing Merrion Square as a site for a cathedral. Also correspondence with C.M. O’Brien (Bray, Co. Wicklow) and ‘T. Kelly’ (Dublin) on the same question; 6 items

MS 47,543 /7 1931-36 Four legal documents regarding an appeal in the Circuit Court of Justice by Sarah Kathleen Newman for entitlement to a reversionary lease of 47 Merrion Sq. (1931), with a solicitor’s letter regarding the dismissal of ‘Mrs. Newman’s claim’ (1934). Also, a copy of a brief note of Sweetman (3 Jun. 1936) regarding a half-year’s rent due to ‘Miss K. Newman’ for 47 Merrion Sq.; 6 items

MS 47,534 /8 1934 Letters regarding Sweetman’s opposition to the plan to use Merrion Square for a cathedral. Includes letter(s) to and from the Commissioners of Merrion Square, Bishop Paschal Robinson (the Papal Nuncio to Ireland), Maurice Moore [ex-colonel] and Lennox Robinson (director Abbey Theatre). Also, a press-cutting from The Standard (Dublin); 18 items

II.ii. Land holding pre-1869

This section contains papers relating to lands owned by the Sweetman land holdings before Drumbaragh. MS 47,535 /1 1840

Letter from John Sweetman to J Gregory proposing to buy lease of Silveracre for £1,600, with acceptance of offer by J Gregory on bottom; 1 item

MS 47,535 /2 1840, 1845, 1856, 1858 Rent receipts. Two receipts for half yearly rents of £18 from Jacob Gregory to Jane and Ann Freeman (1840). Receipts for rent of £36.17.6. for lands at Rathfarnham from John Sweetman to Ann Freeman (1845). Receipts for half yearly rent of £90 for lands at Beaufield, Stillorgan from John Sweetman to Henry Darby (1856,1858); 5 items

MS 47,535 /3 1848 Account of Frederick Sutton to John Sweetman for legal costs in relation to the lease of lands at Stillorgan, with a letter from Henry Darley to John Sweetman on same subject, and receipts for documents; 5 items

MS 47,535 /4 1848, 1851

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Letters to John Sweetman relating to leasing of lands; 2 items

MS 47,535 /5 1858 Letter to John Sweetman from Charles Clarke about possibility of having found a couple to rent house at Stillorgan; 2 pp

MS 47,535 /6 1868 Letters to John Sweetman relating to the proposed purchase of Clobemon Estate, county Wexford, with one copy reply; 5 items

II.iii. Drumbaragh Estate, Kells, Co. Meath

II.iii.1. Leases, transfers and other legal documents

MS 47,536 /1 1875

National Assurance Company of Ireland insurance certificate for the farm buildings at Drumbaragh; 1 item

MS 47,536 /2 1876 Irish Church Temporalities Commission Order merging rent-charge in lieu of tithes in consideration of £393.13.1 from John Sweetman, Drumbaragh, dated 22 May 1876; 1 item

MS 47,536 /3 1877 Draft deed of surrender by endorsement of lease on part of land of Drumbaragh; 2 pp

MS 47,536 /4 1878 Copy lease of part of lands of Drumbaragh, county Meath, by John Sweetman to Samuel Hill; 6pp

MS 47,536 /5 1897 Plantiffs costs in the case of John Sweetman v. Samuel Hill in the High Court of Justice in Ireland; 2pp

MS 47,536 /6 1919 Memorandum of agreement between John Walter Sweetman and John Sweetman relating to the tenancy of Drumbaragh, dated 4 November 1919; 2pp

MS 47,536 /7 1943-1944 Irish Land Commission land purchase account for Thomas Hill on lands at Drumbaragh, with three stamps; 1 item

MS 47,536 /8 1958

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Sale details for sale by auction of Drumbaragh by W & G Armstrong on 17 May 1958; 1 item

II.iii.2. Financial Administration

II.iii.2.a. Account Books

MS 47,537 /1 1869-1872

Book containing farm accounts from April 1869 to April 1872, with garden accounts from June 1869 to March 1872; c.50pp

MS 47,537 /2 1872-1880 Farm account book from May 1872 to April 1881; c.50pp

MS 47,537 /3 1901-1902 Account of expenditure and income from farm; c.50pp

II.iii.2.b. Loose Accounts and receipts

MS 47,537 /4 1871, 1949, undated

Miscellaneous estate receipts; 3 items

MS 47,537 /5 1871, 1875 Accounts of oats consumed by horses; 10 items

MS L 175 1895 Loose sheets with farm accounts; c.30pp

MS 47,537 /6 1906-1912 Miscellaneous loose sheets of accounts, mostly relating to prices of stock sold; 11 items

II.iii.2.c. Salaries and Labour

MS L 176 1869-71

Workmens accounts from May 1869 to April 1871; c.25pp [Cover is detached from book, some of the pages are damaged on edges and corners]

MS 47,537 /7 1870-1871 Notebook containing labours accounts for farm, garden and private for the year ending May 1871; c.50pp

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MS 47,537 /8 1871-1876 Notebook containing weekly labours accounts, with yearly summaries, for farm, garden and improvements, from May 1871 to April 1876; c.100p

MS L 177 1871-1875 Workmen’s account books for years ending April 1872, April 1873, April 1874 and April 1875; 4 items

MS L 178 1875-1876 Workmen’s account book for year ending March 1876; c.30pp

MS L 179 1876-1879 Workmen’s account book for years ending April 1877, April 1878 and April 1879; 3 items

MS 47,537 /9 1876-1880 Notebook containing weekly labours accounts for farm and garden from May 1876 to July 1880; c.100pp

MS L 180 1883-1884 Workmen’s account book for year ending October 1884; c.25pp

MS 47,537 /10 1903-1905 Weekly workman’s time book for the period April 1903 to February 1905; c.100pp

MS 47,538 /1 1915-1916 Weekly farm and labours accounts, with some receipts for the period February to June 1916, also contains sheep and cattle accounts for the period November 1915 to May 1916; 35 items

MS 47,538 /2 1918-1919 Weekly wages and estate accounts for the period 6 December 1918 to 12 September 1919; c.50pp [note this is not a complete run of accounts]

MS 47,538 /3 Undated Loose sheets of garden labours accounts for Feb to June of an unidentified year; 6 items

II.iii.2.d. Stock Accounts

MS 47,538 /4 1870-1885

Notebooks containing details of stock on the farm, with records of

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calving and sales, one of the books contains loose sheets with further notes and accounts; 4 items

MS 47,538 /5 1874-1876 Drumbaragh fowl and butter book, recording ducks and fowls killed, as well as quantities of butter churned and sold; 10pp

MS 47,538 /6 1898-1906 Notebook with record of stock and sale of same, book contains a number of loose sheets, mostly on same subject, including one bill for animals sold; c.100pp

MS 47,538 /7 1901, Undated Notebooks containing notes on different breeds of sheep and also on different fertilisers. Also contains a printed booklet ‘Manures recommended for various farm crops with time and method of application’ and The Department of Agriculture and Techical Instruction for Ireland’s Scheme of Agricultural Experiments for 1901; 4 items

MS 47,538 /8 1908-1909 Loose sheets of sheep and cattle accounts; 22pp

II.iii.3. Estate Correspondence

MS 47,539 /1 1870

Letter to John Sweetman from Thomas Mulvany, a resident on the Drumbaragh estate, asking that the pension provided to him by the previous owner Francis Reilly is continued; 2 items

MS 47,539 /2 1871-75 Estate correspondence including a letters from Thomas Lynch (solicitor) regarding a tithe-rent being claimed by Archdeacon Stopford, and a letters from Thomas and James Rochford regarding various property deals; 11 items

MS 47,539 /3 1876-1897 Correspondence between Samuel Hill (farmer) and John Sweetman, with related letters, covering Hill’s land holding on the Drumbaragh estate, and legal dispute over the same, with related receipts for rents; 25 items [For leases and legal papers relating to the same see section II.ii.1. Leases, transfers and other legal documents]

MS 47,539 /4 1878

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A statement from tenants of J.C. Jones (a neighbouring landlord) regarding Sweetman’s proposal to loan them money to enable them to buy their land. Also, letters to or from Fr. Nicholas Keena, Standish Bowley (another neighbouring landlord) and Sweetman’s mother on the same subject. May-Nov. 1878; 19 items

MS 47,539 /5 1879-89 Letters and documents regarding the management of the Drumbaragh estate and other property considerations. Includes a few letters from Baron Deasy of Carysfort, Blackrock (1879-80), as well as copies of letters that Sweetman sent from America to ‘Lattin’ [Thunder] regarding the management of the Drumbaragh estate (1886-88). Also, three anonymous letters sent from Kells to Sweetman in America, warning him of troublesome tenants back home; 16 items

MS 47,539 /6 1890-98 Copies of letters that Sweetman sent from America regarding the management of Drumbaragh (1890-91). Also, letters regarding the sale of the estate of W.J. Garnett (1893) and a competition that Sweetman held for his tenants at Kells (1898); 14 items

MS 47,539 /7 1890-91, 1898-1899 Letters, press-cuttings and copies of resolutions regarding a proposal supported by Sweetman that the Royal Dublin Society should hold competitions for the best-managed small farms in the country and grant prizes to the winners (1890, 1898-99). Also included, copies of two Sweetman letters to Thomas [Rochford] about the farmers’ business and related matters (Nov. 1891); 21 items

MS 47,539 /8 1898 Letters and notes relating to a proposal to encourage farm improvements in County Meath by offering prizes in various categories; 9pp

MS 47,539 /9 1898-1919, undated Miscellaneous estate correspondence; 4 items

MS 47,540 /1 1903-10 A copy of a Sweetman letter, expressing his willingness to sell his land [under the terms of new land-law legislation] to his three tenants, including the widow of Samuel Hill (Oct.-Nov. 1903), with two related Land Commission documents [1904] and a report on two auctions (1905-06). Also included, letters from steward Patrick Piggott (1908), a lease agreement with tenant-farmer Patrick Bennett (1909) and a couple of subsequent letters about recompensing Bennett for the loss of one of his sheep; 26 items

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MS 47,540 /2 1910-11

Letters from William Power & Co. (Waterford merchants) regarding forestation plans and, in particular, the possible employment of a forester at Kells. Includes copies of some of Sweetman’s replies (a few are written on the reverse of Power’s letters; 17 items

MS 47,540 /3 1912-1913 Correspondence between John Sweetman and Kells Rural District Council relating to the compulsory acquisition of land [for a labourer’s cottage], with notice of compulsory acquisition and map of site; 7 items

MS 47,540 /4 1919 Letters from Max, Weldon & Co, (solicitors) to John Sweetman relating to transfer of property by him to his son, and valuation of same; 4 items

MS 47,540 /5 1930 Letters and a receipt from ‘Maguire & Catchell Ltd.’ (engineers) regarding a plumbing job performing at Drumbaragh; 4 items

MS 47,540 /6 1930, 1959-60 Miscellaneous estate correspondence; 2 items

MS 47,540 /7 [1951] Year book and Diary for 1951 mostly blank but with some notes and draft letters on estate business; c.130pp

II.iii.4. Maps and Surveys

MS L 187 1786

‘A map of part of the lands of Drumbarow in the barony of Kells and county of Meath belonging to Bryan O’Reilly Esquire, containing 96.0.20 plantation measure’, surveyed in 1786 by Joseph O B[ ]. Reference table gives names of fields and their areas; 1 coloured sheet

MS 47,541 /1 1796, undated ‘A Survey of Drumbarrow (sic) in the Parish & Barony of Kells and County of Meath the Estate of Henry Woodward esq.’, survey by Tho. Sherrard 1796. Reference table lists names of tenants and holding, with later pencil additions. Also contains a later list with names of tenants; 2 items

MS 47,541 /2 1854 Griffith’s Valuation of the Union of Kells in the Counties of Meath and

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Cavan (Dublin, 1854). Handwritten note on cover ‘this is a very useful book and should be preserved’; c.150pp

MS 47,541 /3 1868 OS map of Rathdown, one inch to a mile scale, with handwritten date 6 June ’68; 1 sheet

MS 47,541 /4 c.1871 List of tenants with details of holdings in Irish measures, with comments and notes on leases, numbers of holding possibly relating to an estate map; 2pp

MS L 188 1879, undated OS maps of Wicklow, Meath and Dublin, including a map showing Drumbaragh with additions showing the site of cottages, dated 1879; 7 sheets

MS 47,541 /5 189[ ], 1901 Rental and particulars of lands for sale, the estate of William Stackwell Garnett, county Meath; 2 items

MS L 189 1908 Reproduction map of the ‘Barony of Kells in the county of East Meath’ reproduced by the Bibliotheque Nationale; 1 sheet

MS L 190 Undated Map showing transfer of property under the land judges, part of the estate of William Garnett; 1 sheet

MS 47,541 /6 Undated Unidentified plan of a building, possibly part of the farm; 1 item

MS 47,541 /7 Undated Maps of county Meath and Wicklow, revised by P W Joyce, printed by George Philip & Son, London and Liverpool; 2 sheets

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III. Household Papers

This section contains the large quantity of papers relating to the running of the Sweetman family, the majority relate to the period between the marriage of Honoria O’Connor in 1831 to her death in 1879, and we created by her. There is also some later material from the early 1900s, and some relating to the sale of household furniture after the death of John Walter Sweetman in 1961.

III.i. Household Accounts This section contains the very comprehensive accounts kept my Honoria Sweetman from the time of her marriage to her death, as well as some later material kept by her descendants, and one early account book. There are four principle types of records, general household account books, account books with individual tradesmen, summary account books and receipts. Each type of record has its own section and material within each section is arranged chronologically.

III.i.1. General Household Account Books MS 42,081 1821-1850

Account book containing accounts with various tradesmen for general household expenses [this book is not in the hand of Honoria Sweetman, and it is unclear who kept it]; c.200pp

MS 47,542 /1 1833-1840 Account book for general household expenses for the period July 1833 to June 1840, at back of book there are accounts for monies coming in mainly ‘cash from brewery’; c.150pp

MS 47,542 /2 1843-1848 Account book for general household expenses for the period July 1843 to July 1848, at back of book there are accounts for monies coming in mainly ‘cash from brewery’; c.100pp

MS 47,542 /3 1848-1853 Account book for general household expenses for the period July 1848 to July 1853, at the back of the book there are accounts of monies coming in mainly ‘cash from brewery’; c.100pp

MS 47,542 /4 1853-1858 Account book for general household expenses for the period July 1853 to July 1858, at back of book there are accounts for monies coming in mainly ‘cash from brewery’; c.100pp

MS 47,542 /5 1858-1859 Household account book for the period July 1858 to December 1859,

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with some loose bills. In the back of the book are some notes on the amount of jam made in 1859; 50pp

MS 47,542 /6 1859-1865 Account book for general household expenses for the period December 1859 to December 1860, at the back of book there are accounts for monies coming in mainly ‘cash from brewery’. Also includes list of addresses of tradesmen and a letter from the Sisters of Charity, Donnybrook relating to laundry; c.100pp

MS 47,542 /7 1865-1870 Account book for general household expenses for the period October 1865 to October 1870. The front section of the account book deals specifically with accounts with Sweetman’s Brewery and a Cash Account with Bank of Ireland for the same period, there is also a list of tradesmen at the back of the book; c.100pp

MS 47,543 /1 1871-1875 Account book for general household expenses for the period January 1871 to January 1875, the front section of the book deals with deposit and cash accounts with Bank of Ireland and Hibernia Bank. There are also several related loose sheet of bills and notes; c.100pp

MS 47,543 /2 1876-1879 Accounts book for general household expenses for the period January 1875 to August 1879, the front section of the book deal with deposit and cash accounts with Bank of Ireland and Hibernia Bank, at the back are various additional financial memorandum. The book also contains several related loose sheets of bills and notes; c.150pp

MS 47,543 /3 1899 Daily account diary for the year 1899, also contains related loose receipts; c.100pp

MS 47,543 /4 1900 Daily accounts diary for the year 1900; c.100pp [Damaged – spine broken and covers detached]

MS 47,543 /5 1902 Daily account diary for the year 1902, with some related receipts; c.100pp

MS 47,543 /6 1903 Daily account diary for the year 1903; c.100pp

MS 47,543 /7 1905

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Daily account dairy for the year 1950; c.100pp

MS 47,544 /1 1906 Daily account diary for the year 1906; c.100pp

III.i.2. Account books with tradesmen

MS 47,544 /2 1849-1855

Notebook containing household expenditure on meat, with details of when purchased, how much paid, weight and how long it lasted. Also contains additional notes on other expenditure on food and drink; c.50pp

MS 47,544 /3 1872-1875 Notebooks containing accounts with unidentified tradesmen, one is a butcher; 2 items

MS 47,544 /4 1872-1877 Account books with T O’Brien, Fancy Bread & Biscuit Baker, 7 Leinster Street; 2 items

MS 47,544 /5 1873-1876 Account books with M Duffy, Butcher and Contractor, 8 Lower Baggot Street; 2 items

MS 47,544 /6 1873-1877 Account book with Thomas Walters, Poulterer, 14 Lower Baggot Street; c.25pp

MS 47,544 /7 1874-1876 Milk account book; c.30pp

III.i.3. Summery Account Books

These account books were kept by Honoria Sweetman though out her married life. They break down her expenditure into sections, and give summaries of how much is spent each year in that area. The categories used include Servant, Self, Housekeeping, Coal, Doctor, Drumbaragh, Stocks, Cab Journeys, Charity, House Furniture, Education. There are also individual accounts for the amounts spent on each member of the family. In the back of each volume there is an index of the categories used. MS 47,544 /8 1831-1865

Notebook containing record of yearly total expenditure in each category; c.50pp

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MS 47,544 /9 1831-1833

Summary account book for the period July 1831 to June 1833; c.200pp

MS 47,544 /10 1833-1839 Summary account book for the period July 1833 to June 1839; c.200pp







MS 47,545 /6 1865-1870 Summary account book for the period July 1865 to December 1870; c.150pp

MS 47,545 /7 1871-1875 Summary account book for the period January 1871 to December 1875; c.100pp

MS 47,546 /1 1876-1879 Summary account book for the period January 1876 to June 1879; c.100pp

III.i.4. Receipts

MS 47,546 /2 1838, 1864, 1876, 1879

Miscellaneous household receipts; 4 items

MS 47,546 /3 1859 Household receipts; 3 items

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MS 47,546 /4 1869-1870 Receipts for furniture and other household good to be sent to Drumbaragh; c.30 items

MS 47,546 /5 1872 Household receipts; 20 items

MS 47,546 /6 1891-1923 Miscellaneous household receipts, also three business cards and a bundle of tickets for the ‘Irene Grand Bazaar’ in Ballsbridge, Dublin (May 1895); 36 items

MS 47,546 /7-8

1901-1902 Household receipts filed alphabetically, C-W only; c.200 items in 2 folders

MS 47,546 /9 1902 Miscellaneous household receipts; c.20 items

MS 47,547 /1 1919-1920 Household receipts; 97 items

MS 47,547 /2 Undated Enclosure to quarterly telephone bill for Dublin 61338; 1p

III.ii. Servants

For details of servants’ wages see section III.i.1. General Household Account Books and III.i.3. Summery Account Books. MS 47,547 /3 1844-1846

Character witnesses for Martin Woodlocke, Butler; 13pp

MS 47,547 /4 1916-19 Letters regarding an insurance claim that was made on behalf of a servant girl, Kate Kenna, who was employed briefly at Drumbaragh. Also, a couple of letters regarding an insurance claim of another servant girl, Alice Tyrell, made during 1919. With one miscellaneous letter from Sweetman’s insurance agent; 29 items

MS 47,547 /5 1934-1944 Notebook containing a list of servants at Drumbaragh, with details of names, wages, age and when/why dismissed; c.25pp

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III.iii. Household Inventories MS 47,548 /1 1857-1860, undated

Estimates and accounts for furniture for John Sweetman from Robt. Strahan, Cabinet Maker and Upholsters, with some miscellaneous notes on furniture; 19 items

MS 47,548 /2 1857-1868, 1874-1901, undated Notebooks containing various inventory of silver, plate, glass, linen and furniture; 3 items

MS 47,548 /3 1859 Notebook containing ‘valuation for probate of furniture & effects of the late John Sweetman Esq. made at 13 Merrion Square East on Wed. 20th Nov.1859, made by Robert Strahan’; c.25pp

MS 47,548 /4 1895-1939, undated List of linens, plate and household wares at Drumbaragh; 13 items

MS 47,548 /5 1958 List of prices paid at sale of household furniture at Drumbaragh on 18 and 19 September 1958, with an estimate of removal of goods from Drumbaragh to Desmond, Killiney, county Dublin; 2 items

MS 47,548 /6 1961 Inventory and valuation of household goods of John Walter Sweetman deceased, compiled 19 December 1961; 5 pp

MS 47,548 /7 1990-1991 Sale of Sweetman Silver; inventory of silver plate and objects d’art, pre and post sale advice from Hamilton, Osborne and King, pre and post sale advice from John Adams, newspaper cuttings on sale and Hamilton, Osborne and King sale catalogue; 8 items

III.iv. Household Improvement

Map Box 5 1869

Plans for renovation and improvements to Drumbarrow (sic), by W F Caldbeck (architects), signed Richard Davis, contractor, 20 June 1869, and approved by John Sweetman. Plans show flank and front elevation, plans of basement, principle, first and second story and elevation and plans of office; 7 sheets

MS 47,548 /8 1869-1877 Bills for various home improvements at Drumbaragh, Kells, County

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Meath; 27 items

MS 47,549 /1 1899-1902 Letters, accounts and plans relating to general home improvements to Drumbaragh. Includes plans for the building of a laundry, a conservatory, a teacher’s residence and ‘loose box stalls’. Also, a copy of a lease agreement (1901) and some handwritten notes regarding petty-cash transactions; 31 items

MS 47,549 /2 1901 ‘Bill of quantities for additions to Drumbaragh House, Kells, County Meath, for John Sweetman. L A M McDonnell, Architect, 33 Kildare Street’, with loose sheets of related notes; c.30pp

MS 47,549 /3 1903 Letters regarding the cost of making surveys and home improvements. Includes a receipt for a payment made to Thomas Hall and Sons (builders); 12 items

MS 47,549 /4 1914 Estimate for proposed electrical lighting of Drumbaragh by Maguire & Gatchell, with covering letter; 7pp

MS 47,549 /5 Undated Rough sketch of proposed improvements at 13 Merrion Square for Mrs Sweetman; 1p

III.v. Miscellaneous Household Papers

MS 47,549 /6 1854-1866

Notebook kept by Honoria Sweetman recording details of parties held by her, notes include number of guests, quantity of food and drink and prices of same, with some loose sheets on same topic; 3 items

MS 47,549 /7 1885 Cutting from paper advertising sale of household furniture at Lamberton Park, Maryborough on 9th February 1885; 1p

MS 47,549 /8 Undated Handwritten list of all the places Honoria Sweetman had lived at during her married life, with record of rent or sale price; 1p

MS 47,549 /9 Undated Illustrated flyer for ‘James Health, Patent Bath Wheel Chair Manufacture to the Sovereigns of England, France, Spain, Egypt’; 1p

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IV. Financial Papers

This section contains the personal financial papers of the Sweetman family, the majority of the papers relate to John Sweetman and his son John Walter, although there are some earlier papers. The material has been divided into five sections by record type, and within each section is arranged chronologically.

IV.i. Account Books and loose accounts MS 47,550 /1 1869-1875

Account book mainly of cash account with Hibernian Bank, as well as smaller accounts with individuals; c.50pp

MS 47,550 /2 1869-1872 Account book of [John Sweetman] containing ‘Cash Accounts’, ‘Private Accounts’ and ‘Improvements to Drumbaragh’ accounts from April 1869 to April 1872; c.100p

MS 47,550 /3 1872-1881 Account book of [John Sweetman] containing ‘Cash Accounts’, ‘Private Accounts’, Improvement Accounts’ and Garden Accounts’ from April 1872 to April 1881, with some gaps in the period 1876-1879; c.100pp

MS 47,550 /4 1872-1878 Cash account book of [John Sweetman] from May 1872 to April 1878; c.100pp

MS 47,550 /5 1875-80 Account book of John Sweetman mainly of cash account with Hibernian Bank, as well as smaller accounts with individuals. Also, a handwritten sheet listing ‘assets of John Sweetman on 25 Oct. 1879’ totalling £106,000 and including stock with the Bank of England, Bank of Ireland and the Great Southern and Western Railway; 2 items

MS 47,550 /6 1878-1881 Cash account book of [John Sweetman] from May 1878 to April 1991; c.100pp

MS 47,550 /7 1911-1936 Particulars [in John Sweetman’s hand] of his annual income from the years ending 5 April 1916 to 5 April 1936. Also, three handwritten estimates by Sweetman of his assets in Feb. 1911, Dec. 1915 and undated; 26 items

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IV.ii. Stocks, Shares and Investments

MS 47,551 /1 1859, 1869 Receipts for government stock bought by Mr and Mrs Sweetman; 4pp

MS 47,551 /2 1861-1865 Accounts for monies received by Mrs John Sweetman from family brewery at Francis Court, Porter Brewery; 25pp

MS 47,551 /3 1869-95 Eleven receipts for the purchases of stock in the Great Southern and Western Railway by Honoria Sweetman (1869) with a receipt for a dividend paid (1879). A receipt for the sale of £800 worth of stock in the company by John Sweetman (1882), with a copy of a Sweetman note requesting the purchase of £500. Also contains a notice regarding the transfer of £4000 debenture stock in this company from John Sweetman to ‘R. Sweetman and J.F. Hanly’ [cousin and father-in-law respectively] (11 Sep. 1895); 16 items

MS 47,551 /4 1879-82 Share certificates in the Bank of England, the Dunsany Cooperative Store Company Ltd., the Irish National Cooperative Society and the Manitoba Land Company, with a record of some shares sold in February 1881. Also included, an envelope containing twenty-nine business cards of John Sweetman of Drumbaragh and 47 Merrion Square (undated); 7 items

MS 47,551 /5 1899-1910 Company statements regarding the ‘New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company’ and a copy of a Sweetman letter about the same company. Also, two letters sent to and from the Office of the Surveyor of Taxes regarding Sweetman’s investment in this American railroad company (Feb. 1910); 8 items

MS 47,552 /1 1900-14 A share certificate allowing for the transfer of government stock in the Bank of Ireland from John and Edmund Sweetman to Roger Sweetman and Joseph Francis Hanly [cousin and father-in-law] in 1908. Also, a share certificate in the County Meath Agricultural Society Ltd., and two share certificates in the Salisbury Hotel (London) Ltd.; 4 items

MS 47,552 /2 1904, 1906 A letter from William Callender (Celbridge Paper Mills) with three copies of a proof company prospectus, as well as a shareholder’s form, for the ‘Callender’s Paper Manufacturing Company’. Includes an acknowledgement for a £200 investment in this company by Sweetman

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(Jul. 1904), a company statement (Sep. 1904) and a report of the winding up of the company (Mar. 1906). Other shareholders’ names listed include Horace Plunkett; 16 items

MS 47,552 /3 1926-39 Two letters from O’Donnell-Fitzgerald, Government stockbrokers, regarding business they transacted on the stock-exchange on Sweetman’s behalf (1927). Share certificate in the Irish Cooperative Meat Ltd. of Waterford, with an attached flyer about the company, a letter regarding an investment made in Pembroke Urban District Council (1928) and a share certificate for £6,000 in a ten-year national loan scheme of the Irish Free State (1935). Also, a list of estate duty rates [1930s] and a share certificate in Clover Meats Ltd. issued to ‘John [Walter] Sweetman’; 8 items

MS 47,552 /4 1937-1939 Dividend and stock receipts, including Irish Free State 5% National Loan, Dublin Port and Docks Bond, Grand Canal Company and Rathmines & Rathgar Township; 10 items

MS 47,552 /5 Undated Receipts for interest on Irish Free State 5 % 2nd National Loan 1950-1960 to John Sweetman, John Walter Sweetman, Agnes Sweetman and Malachi Sweetman and John Marshall Dudley; 8 items

IV.iii. Bank Accounts

MS 47,552 /6 1878

Lodgements to accounts of Honoria Sweetman with the Hibernian Bank; 3 items

MS 47,552 /7 1879 Cheque from John Sweetman to Emily Taunton for £1,000 dated 7 October 1879; 1 item

MS 47,552 /8 1929-36 Handwritten statement of ‘balance in bank for the first of every month’, covering the period January 1929 to May 1936, with five used cheque books for Bank of Ireland from 1933-36 and a handwritten statement of payments made by cheque each month from January 1933 to July 1936; 7 items

MS 47,552 /9 1929-32 John Sweetman’s bank account statements with the Bank of Ireland, Dublin for the period 1929 to 1932, with one receipt of balance for

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June 1932; 41pp

MS 47,553 /1 1933-36 John Sweetman’s bank account statements with the Bank of Ireland, Dublin for the period 1933 to 1936; 43pp

MS 47,553 /2 1936, 1938 John Walter Sweetman’s cheque books from Bank of Ireland, with retuned cheques from Hibernian Bank; c.50pp

IV.iv. Income Tax

MS 47,553 /3 1900,1919-1921, 1932-1935

John Sweetman income tax forms for 1900 and the period 1919 to 1921, with income tax notice of assessment form for the years ending October 1832 to October 1835; 11 items

MS 47,553 /4 1916-35 Super-tax and Sur-tax forms of John Sweetman for the period 1916 to 1935; 22 items

MS 47,553 /5 1933-1940 Letters to John Walter Sweetman from office of the inspector of taxes relating to income tax, with related forms; 17 items

IV.v. Correspondence

MS 47,553 /6 1867

Letters to John Sweetman from Smyth Parry and their London agent about five torn pound notes, with copy decree of Nora and Honoria Sweetman about the same, and the five notes; 15 items

MS 47,553 /7 1886-1889 Copy financial correspondence including a cover-letter enclosing a bill of exchange for Sweetman’s purchase of £1,000 worth of government shares, and cover-letters for dividends that Sweetman sent to the Bank of Ireland to credit to his account (1886-89); 4 items

MS 47,553 /8 1894-1895 Letter from James Canning, Belfast asking Sweetman to invest in a ‘flax scheme’ with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply. Also, a cover letter for a land certificate; 3 items

MS 47,553 /9 1906, 1920

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Letters to John Sweetman from Hibernian Bank, Bank of Ireland and Martin Bank; 3 items

MS 47,554 /1 1907-1908 Two letters from the ‘Dublin Cutlery Manufacturing Company’, with copies of Sweetman replies declining to become involved; 4 items

MS 47,554 /2 1916-1918 A cover-letter from O’Donnell-Fitzgerald (government stock and share brokers) for a certificate for ‘£4300 Exchequer 5% bonds, registered in the Bank of Ireland’ (14 Feb. 1916). A handwritten note by Sweetman (Mar. 1918), calculating the total value of his shares in various companies (£64,696). A statement of O’Donnell-Fitzgerald regarding Sweetman’s decision to divide his War Saving Certificates between his wife and children (18 Dec. 1917); 3 items

MS 47,554 /3 1919 Letters from O’Donnell-Fitzgerald (government stock and share brokers) regarding transactions they performed on Sweetman’s behalf on the stock-exchange. Also, a miscellaneous letter regarding the disposal of Sweetman’s car; 8 items

MS 47,554 /4 1934-1938 Letters from J M Dudley to John Walter Sweetman relating to a financial trust held by J M Dudley and Malachi Sweetman, with related stock receipts; 12 items

MS 47,554 /5 1934-1952 Financial papers of Olivia Dudley, later Sweetman, with related stock receipts; 7 items

MS 47,554 /6 1935-1937 Letters to John Walter Sweetman from Hibernian Bank and Bank of Ireland; 7 items

MS 47,554 /7 1935, 1948 Letters from O’Donnell & Fitz-Gerald, Government Stock Broker, to John Walter Sweetman with some draft replies, also includes monthly investment book; 35 items

MS 47,554 /8 1937-1938 Letters from John M Maxwell, Solicitors, to John Walter Sweetman, concerning financial dealings in relation to his parent’s estate and his own marriage settlement, with draft replies; 5 items

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V. Legal Papers

This section contains the small amount of material relating to legal transactions and costs of the Sweetman family, the majority of the material relates to the marriage settlement between John Sweetman and Honoria O’Connor, and the administration of their wills. The records have been divided into three sections by record type, and within each section arranged chronologically.

V.i. Marriage Settlement and Testamentary Material

MS 47,555 /1 1831 Letters to Lydia O’Connor from Michael Sweetman relating to the marriage settlement of Honoria O’Connor and John Sweetman senior, and the suit between Cecilia Blake and Honoria O’Connor, with related letters from John Martin and Patrick Sweetman; 6 items

MS 47,555 /2 1831 Sworn declaration by Michael Sweetman that John Sweetman senior was born in 1805, dated 11 July 1831; 1p

MS 47,555 /3 1831 Bond for £8,000 owed by John Sweetman senior to James Martin as part of marriage settlement between John Sweetman and Honoria O’Connor, made 15 July 1831; 2pp

MS 47,555 /4 1831 Original and copy settlement of marriage of John Sweetman senior and Honoria O’Connor, dated 15 July 1831; 5 membranes and 17pp

MS 47,555 /5 1859 Will of John Sweetman senior, with probate granted to Honoria Sweetman, executors accounts and bill for funeral expenses; 6 items

MS 47,555 /6 1879 Probate of the will of Honoria Sweetman, with executors accounts and receipts and related letters; 10 items

MS 47,555 /7 1879 Notebook containing accounts relating to the estate of Honoria Sweetman, including details on funeral expenses, legacies and calculation of the value of estate; c.25pp

MS 47,555 /8 1906-1908 Letters regarding the marriage trust settlement of John Sweetman and Agnes Hanly as well as the marriage trust settlement of Hugh and Gertrude Sweetman; 13 items

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MS 47,555 /9 1918-1925

A copy of a will of John Sweetman. Also, a document listing legal costs in revising Sweetman’s marriage trust settlement from 1921-24. Also, copies of Sweetman letters to ‘Maddie’ and ‘Gus’ [siblings of his wife], as well as one statement in Agnes Sweetman’s hand (with notes by John Sweetman on the reverse), regarding the claims of members of the Hanly family (1925); 5 items

MS 47,555 /10 1940 Letters to ‘Susie’ [Olivia] Sweetman from J Marshall Dudley relating to the administration of their late uncle and aunts estate; 3pp

V.ii. Other legal documents

MS 47,556 /1 1831, 1845, undated

Copy of partnership agreement relating to Sweetman Brewery between John senior and Patrick Sweetman (1831), with later notes on same subject; 4pp

MS 47,556 /2 1853-1858 Receipts from Valentine O’Brien O’Connor to John Sweetman senior for monies paid to Miss [Monica] O’Connor of Paris and Mrs Valentine O’Brian O’Connor as due under a deed of trust; 10pp

MS 47,556 /3 1860 Certificates of bonds satisfied and cancelled on behalf of John Sweetman, £2,000 bond dated 27 November 1847, £2,000 bond dated 25 October 1852 and £4,000 bond dated 3 January 1855, all cancelled in March and July 1860, with envelope; 4 items

MS 47,556 /4 1862, 1863, 1868 Trust deeds between Margaret Sweetman and Honoria and Patrick Sweetman (1862), and Alicia Sweetman and Honoria and Patrick Sweetman (1863) on Margaret and Alicia becoming nuns. Deeds give £1,000 to convent and agree to support them as novices, in return for release of estate from all claims. Also contains a draft deed of recovery (1868) between the same parties, and a note from Honoria Sweetman stating her ‘desire to cancel within deed … as it is my wish that my daughter should be in the same position as if this deed had not been executed’; 5 items

MS 47,556 /5 1878 Deed appointing new trustees between Honoria Sweetman, James Fagan Rochford, Patrick Sweetman and James Fagan Rochford, with

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copy of same, opinion of Mr Wolstenholm and costs; 5 items

MS 47,556 /6 1878 Record of transfer by Patrick Sweetman of £,4,426 to James Martin; 1p

MS 47,556 /7 1993 Copy deed of conveyance of £2,000 each year, for seven years, by John Oliver Sweetman to his son John, dated 5 April 1993; 1p

V.iii. Legal Cost

MS 47,556 /8 1863-1865

Account of John Smyth, Solicitor, to Honoria Sweetman; 2pp

MS 47,556 /9 1883-1926 Legal costs from Maxwell, Weldon & Co, including Sweetman’s dealings with the Benedictine Order (1925-26), with related correspondence; 8 items

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VI. Family Papers

The section contains the personal papers of members of the Sweetman family. The first section contains papers relating to general family history research, the following fourteen sections contain papers relating to individual members of the Sweetman family. The final section contains general family papers and some family objects. When there is a large amount of material relating to one individual, Honoria Sweetman and John Sweetman, the records have been further subdivided by type. Within each section the material is arranged chronologically. The majority of the material in this section are correspondence, as there is often correspondence between two members of the same family the letters are in the section relating to the author. For example letters from Honoria Sweetman to her son John can be found in the section from Honoria. Where the author is a family member but does not have a section of their own, letters can be found under the recipient. For example, letters to John Sweetman from his cousin Gertrude Sweetman.

VI.i. Genealogical Papers

The majority of material in this section relates to genealogical research undertaken by John Sweetman during the early years of the twentieth century. MS 47,557 /1 1845

Bound printed account of the meetings of the Noviomagian Society, session 1844-5; c.70pp [There is some damage, front cover is detached]

MS 47,557 /2 1898-1927 Letters to John Sweetman, with draft replies, from members of the Sweetman family and other, on family history subject. Correspondents include J J O’Farrell who undertook research for John Sweetman; c.70 items

MS 47,557 /3 1903-1918, undated Letters and drawings relating to a stone engraving of the Sweetman family crest; 10 items

MS 47,557 /4 1904-1912 Letters from J J O’Farrell to John Sweetman relating to copying of wills and chancery rolls with cost of same, also includes copies of chancery bills and wills relating to the Sweetman family for the period 1561-1800; c.80pp

MS 47,557 /5 1911 Copies of ‘Sweetman Wills, Bills, etc’ from the period 1600-1800, with list of same, copied by J J O’Farrell in 1911; c.60pp

MS 47,557 /6 1936-2001 Miscellaneous letters mainly about family history; 6 items

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MS 47,557 /7 1993, undated

Printed Sweetman family genealogy and notes, some created for a family reunion in 1993; 3 items

MS 47,557 /8 Undated, c.1910s Family trees drawn up by various hands, including John Sweetman; c.50pp

MS 47,557 /9 Undated, c.1910s Notebook containing family trees and research notes; c.50pp

MS 47,557 /10 Undated, c.1910s Miscellaneous notes on Sweetman family history, mostly in the hand of John Sweetman; c.40pp

VI.ii. Honoria Sweetman, 1804-1879

This section contains the personal papers of Honoria Sweetman, nee O’Connor, after the time of her marriage in 1831, earlier personal letters to Honoria as a child can be found in section I.ii. Family papers and correspondence. The material has been split into three sections by record types, and within each section are arranged chronologically.

VI.ii.1. Correspondence MS 47,558 /1 1851, undated

Miscellaneous letter and empty envelopes addressed to Honoria Sweetman; 4 items

MS 47,558 /2 1856, 1871 Letter to Nora Sweetman, during a stay in Rome, from her mother Honoria Sweetman. Also a letter from her to her son ‘Johnny’; 2 items

MS 47,558 /3 1860,1862, undated Letters to Honoria Sweetman from various members of the Sweetman and O’Connor family; 6 items

MS 47,558 /4 1864-1878 Letters to Honoria Sweetman from Sisters at the St. Benedict’s Priory, relating to the acceptance of her daughter Margaret into the convent, also gifts to the convent and other charitable bequests. Also includes other letters, correspondence including Fr. Callam, relating to her daughters or thanking her for charity; 31 items

MS 47,558 /5 1866

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Letters to Honoria Sweetman from the Sisters of Charity, Our Lady’s Mount, refusing to accept her daughter Janette as a nun, with draft replies; 4 items

MS 47,558 /6 1876-1879 Letters to Honoria Sweetman relating to annuity paid by her to former servants of her mother, also the death of Miss Vernon who was her mother’s companion in Bath; 4 items

VI.ii.2. Travel Journals and Receipts

MS 47,558 /7 1830

Journal of journey to Scotland May 1838 made by Honoria O’Connor with notes on distances travelled and monies spent; c.35pp

MS 47,558 /8 1867-1873 Journal of continental trips made by Honoria Sweetman, July to September 1867, June 1868 to July 1869 and May to July 1873, with pocket diaries for 1866 and 1867 recording dates spent in different places; 3 items

MS 47,558 /9 1868-1869 Hotel and other bills of Honoria Sweetman from a visit to Britain, France and Belgium; 20 items

MS 47,558 /10 1879 Bills hotels and other expenses of Honoria Sweetman during a stay in Buxton, England; 14 items

MS 47,558 /11 Undated Notebook containing seven pages of a journal of a continental trip written by Honoria Sweetman for her children; c.20pp

VI.ii.3. Other items

MS 47,558 /12 Undated

Pocket books of [Honoria Sweetman] containing miscellaneous notes mainly address and accounts; 2 items

MS 47,558 /13 Undated Blotters of [Honoria Sweetman], some containing loose sheets mainly with addresses and accounts; 3 items

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VI.iii. Honoria (Nora) Sweetman, b.1833 Honoria Sweetman was the eldest surviving child of Honoria and John Sweetman senior. To avoid confusion with her mother she is referred to throughout this list as Nora, as she often is in family papers. MS 47,559 /1 1851-1856

Account book of Nora Sweetman for the period 1855-6, most pages with entries have been cut out, only two remain. At reverse are accounts of income monies for the period 1851-6; c.40pp

MS 47,559 /2 1855-1865 Letters to Nora Sweetman mainly from members of her family, including her father John Sweetman senior, her step-grandmother Margaret Sweetman, and her cousins Roger Sweetman in Rome, Kate Sweetman, Mary Ann Sweetman and Mary and Julia Scully; 23 items

MS 47,559 /3 1855-1856 Diary of Nora Sweetman recording a trip to the continent, including German and Italy, from May 1855 to June 1856; c.200pp

MS 47,559 /4 1862 Notebook containing account of ‘My Paris Trip’ with ‘uncle’ [in hand of Nora Sweetman] from September to October 1862; c.50pp

MS 47,559 /5 Undated Exercise book containing collections of religious extracts collected by Nora Sweetman; c.20pp

VI.iv. Alicia Sweetman, 1834-1884

Alicia Sweetman was born in 1834 the second surviving child of Honoria and John Sweetman senior. In 1860 she entered the Convent of the Religious Sisters of Charity Stanhope Street, Dublin as Sister Mary Joseph. She died aged fifty in July 1884. MS 47,559 /6 1860-1872

Letters for Alicia Sweetman to her mother, with two letters from nuns at her convent to the same. Also includes a fold of paper containing ‘this hair Alicia gave me August 22nd 1860, her parting day’; 6 items

MS 47,559 /7 1879-1885, undated Letters from Alicia Sweetman to her brother John, includes five letters about their mother’s final illness (Aug.1879), the remaining letters all date from the final year of Alicia’s life. Also included are a letters from a cousin Margaret Sweetman, also of the Sisters of Charity; 18 items

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MS 47,559 /8 1884

Printed form, filled in by hand, to be sent to other religious communities announcing the death of Alicia Sweetman; 1 item

MS 47,559 /9 Undated Exercise books of Alicia Sweetman containing extract from religious works; 3 items

VI.v. Margaret Sweetman, 1839-1926

Margaret Sweetman was born in 1839, the fourth surviving daughter of Honoria and John Sweetman senior. In 1862 she entered St Benedict’s Priory, Stafford, England, as Sister Teresa Magdalene. She died in September 1926 aged eighty-eight. MS 47,560 /1 1852

Exercise book of Margaret Sweetman at Beaufield [School] containing a list of sermons preached, with loose notes on same subject; c.15pp

MS 47,560 /2 1860-1879, undated Letters from Margaret Sweetman, St. Benedict’s Priory, to her mother Honoria Sweetman. Also includes a lock of hair cut the day she became a nun and sent to her mother; 43 items

MS 47,560 /3 1879-85 Letters from Sister Teresa Magdalene in St. Benedict’s Priory to her brother John Sweetman, also includes a receipt, signed by four Sisters, for a donation John made to the convent ; 15 items

MS 47,560 /4 1889-90 Letters from Sister Teresa Magdalene, St. Benedict’s Priory, to her brother John Sweetman. Also includes four undated letters from ‘F. Magdalene’ [Rev. Francis Magdalene, Mother Prioress]. Also, a copy of two Sweetman letters to ‘Madame Raphael’ regarding payments ‘for my sister’s account’; 12 items

MS 47,560 /5 1891-95 Letters from Sister Teresa Magdalene, St. Benedict’s Priory, including a couple of letters from Sister Francis, Reverend Mother; 9 items

MS 47,560 /6 1896-1901 Letters from Sister Teresa Magdalene, St. Benedict’s Priory, with a couple of letters from Sister Francis. Topics includes the death of Sr. Francis Magdalene (26 May 1898) and the birth of Sweetman’s son (Jul. 1898). Also, a letter from the Bishop of Newport and Fr. H.E.

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Ford (Downside Abbey) in response to a complaint that was forwarded by Sweetman on behalf of Sister Teresa regarding a newly-elected Mother Prioress (Jul.-Oct.1896); 18 items

MS 47,560 /7 1910-26 Letters from Sister Teresa Magdalene to John Sweetman and his wife Agnes, also included, a couple of doctor’s letters on Sister Teresa’s health (1926), her last letter to her brother [written very shortly before her death] and a certificate of her death on 28 Sept. 1926, stating that she died aged eighty-eight after sixty-three years in the convent. Also included, correspondence between John Sweetman and the Archbishop of Birmingham regarding a concern of his sister about the management of St. Benedict’s Priory (Jul. 1921); 24 items (see also B54)

VI.vi. Janette Sweetman, and the daughters of John and Honoria Sweetman

This section contains papers relating to Janette Sweetman, the youngest daughter of Honoria and John Sweetman senior, as well as material which has not been linked specifically with one daughter. MS 47,560 /8 1859, undated

Handwritten exam papers on various subjects including maths, history, geography, Latin and French; 23 items

MS 47,560 /9 1857-1869 Account book of one of the [daughters] of John and Honoria Sweetman, possibly Nora or Janette, containing record of out going and incoming; 2 items

MS 47,560 /10 1869 Letters from Janette Sweetman to her brother John Sweetman, principally about the health of their mother; 2 items

MS 47,560 /11 Undated Uncompleted diary of a journey started in July in Dublin by ‘the four M of V J and myself’; c.40pp

MS 47,560 /12 Undated Exercise books containing extracts of literary and religious works, notes on history of France, lists of words and pressed flowers; 4 items

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VI.vii. John Sweetman and Agnes Hanly This section contains the personal papers of John Sweetman and his wife Agnes Hanly, mainly correspondence with other members of his family. The political and business papers of John Sweetman can be found in Part Two of this list. Section X. Professional Correspondence contains additional letters of John Sweetman. In some cases there is some overlap between the personal and professional correspondence, for example the letters of John’s cousin Walter Sweetman of Currie relate to both family matters and the Irish American Colonization Company. As these were found with other material relating to the colony in Currie they have been kept with his professional correspondence (Section X.i.4.). Equally some of the personal correspondence in this section includes references to political and religious affairs.

VI.vii.1. Correspondence

VI.vii.1.a. Letters from John Sweetman to his mother Honoria Sweetman MS 47,561 /1 1855-62

A list of eleven religious resolutions made by Sweetman, dated Christmas 1855, and a copy of a ‘Processionale’ of the Downside Benedictines, annotated ‘J. Sweetman, Corpus Xti [Christi] 1858’. Two letters to his mother around the time of his father’s death, and a letter from Downside College regarding John’s final days at school. Also includes eight sheets of notes [made by John in preparation for school exams] and an invitation to a Christmas party; 7 items

MS 47,561 /2 1868 Letters from John Sweetman to his mother during his first trip abroad, to Switzerland and northern Italy; 8 items

MS 47,561 /3 1871, 1876-78 Three letters from Sweetman to his mother regarding his visit to Lourdes in May 1877, with an envelope marked ‘spray from the rocks of Massabielle Lourdes, October 1878’ with a small piece of foliage inside. Also, a letter that was dictated by an unknown individual [‘Tessy’ a nephew of John Sweetman], written by John Sweetman and addressed to ‘grand mama’ [Honoria Sweetman]; 4 items

MS 47,561 /4 1878 Letters to his mother regarding his time in Rome as part of an Irish delegation to meet the new Pope Leo XIII, includes accounts of his meeting with the Pope (2 May), time spent in Milan (4 May), his meetings with Monsignor Kirby (Rector of Irish College in Rome) and Cardinal Paul Cullen (Archbishop of Dublin) and various descriptions of churches, relics or religious art. Also included are two copies of a photograph of Leo XIII, and one letter that Sweetman sent to his

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mother after his return to Ireland (8 Aug.); 26 items

VI.vii.1.b. Correspondence between John, Agnes and their children

The section contains personal letters between John and Agnes Sweetman and their children. There are some letters between John and Agnes Sweetman written during his imprisonment after the 1916 rising, and letters written by Agnes petitioning for John’s release in section VII.x. The 1916 Rising and the reorganisation of Sinn Fein Ms 47,562 /1 1895

Letters to John Sweetman from friends or relatives congratulating him on his engagement to Agnes Hanly, includes a copy of one brief letter of Sweetman on his reasons for marrying (attached to 13 Aug.). Also, an extract from Lady’s Pictorial (28 Sept. 1895) featuring a photo of Agnes and a description of what she and other ladies were wearing at her wedding, and a handwritten note on wedding; 25 items

Ms 47,562 /2 1895 Letters from Agnes Hanly to John Sweetman during their engagement, including three letters from her father John P. Hanly, and a solicitor’s letter regarding property rights and the engagement; 9 items

Ms 47,562 /3 1904-1927, undated Letters to Sweetman from his wife Agnes, subjects include the health of their children, events at home and related matters. One letter has an attached photograph ‘of the boys’ [John Walter and Malachi]. Also included, an envelop containing a lock of Agnes’ hair and an envelope containing locks of John and Agnes’ hair together ; 27 items

Ms 47,562 /4 1908-1925, undated Letters from John and Agnes Sweetman to their sons John, Malachi and William Sweetman while at school and later, one letter includes a photograph of a small boy; 18 items

VI.vii.1.c. Other family and personal correspondence of John Sweetman

Ms 47,562 /5 1879

Letters relating to the death of Honoria Sweetman. Including letters to John Sweetman from Richard Hallows about the declining state of his mother’s health, and letters of sympathy following her death. Also includes receipts for donations offered for Masses said for the repose of the souls of John Sweetman’s parents in the wake of his mother’s death, twenty-five cards containing suggested rosary prayers for the repose of the soul of Honoria Sweetman, and a certificate of the

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registry of deaths regarding Honoria Sweetman, a letter and telegram from Monsignor Thomas Kirby [Rector of the Irish College in Rome] acknowledging receipt of a donation and announcing that an apostolic benediction had been offered by Pope Leo XIII to Sweetman’s mother as well to as his entire family; c.50 items

Ms 47,562 /6 1879-1985, undated General personal correspondence, including letters from Arthur Blakeston (London), Jane Dockery (Rathmines, Co. Dublin) on the death of his sister and a letter from a Redemptonist nun in the Convent of St. Alphonsus, Clonliffe Rd., Dublin; 14 items

Ms 47,562 /7 1880-1886 General personal correspondence, including letters from Hermann Rein (Passau, Germany) with two photos of Passau, F.M. Cruise, James Rochford (London) and one Thomas Rochford (Nenagh, Co. Tipperary). The letter from Thomas Rochford contains some references to politics. Also, one letter from Julia Aungier of Foxrock, Co. Dublin (distant cousin); 15 items

Ms 47,562 /8 1891-1902 Personal letters from, and copy replies, correspondents include F.M. Cruise (Dublin), Arthur Blakeston (London), James and Thomas Rochford and Pauline Thunder. Also, a letter from Valentine O’Connor of Bruges (1890), a copy of a letter to ‘my dear Julia [Aungier?]’ (Mar. 1900) and a letter from ‘cousin Hamish [?]’ in Worcester, England (Nov. 1893). Also, two unsigned picture-postcards sent from the continent (1902); 26 items

Ms 47,562 /9 1905-23 Letters from Jeremiah McCarthy of West Kensington, London. Many of the letters are Christmas greetings, some letters include passing references to family events, authors or current affairs; 27 items

Ms 47,562 /10 1905-1910 Personal letters, including letters from Thomas Rochford, correspondence with Steinway and Sons regarding his piano and two letters from John A. Rorke (Sydney) on various matters; 12 items

Ms 47,562 /11 1906-1927 Letters to John Sweetman from his cousins, including letters to and from Roger Sweetman on family matters, letters from James Sweetman (including sent one from Malta, with a photograph attached) and a letter from Col. M.J. Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) with an attached business card. Also included is a miscellaneous note regarding the death of Wellington Fitzroy Sweetman with a letter from

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his widow Amy (1911); 15 items

Ms 47,562 /12 1910-15 Personal correspondence. Including letters from James Rochford and Mary Blundell (distant cousins), a letter to and from Gertrude Sweetman (cousin) and two letters from John Clarke (Glenarm, Co. Antrim). Also, two letters from Edward Martyn with a circular letter of the Dublin Oratorio Society; 18 items

Ms 47,562 /13 1910-15 Letters from George F. Chambers (Tory politician, barrister and author). Includes a biographical press-cutting (with portrait) and a letter of introduction, emphasising his family connection with Sweetman’s maternal grandmother and forwarding illustrations of a Mr. and Mrs. Brodie. Subjects include this family link and various social or political affairs. Included are advertisements, or contents pages, for two of Chambers’ publications (an edition of The Merchant of Venice and Old Memories of East Bourne), a letter recommending that Sweetman read Matthias Bodkin’s book of recollections (1914) and a letter from Chambers’ daughter (1915), announcing the death of her father; 18 items

Ms 47,562 /14 1916, 1930, undated A letter, sent from London (Nov.1916), of a Walter Sweetman (‘cousin’). This man appears to be a London resident and British army captain. Also included, an extract of a letter defending conscription (with John Sweetman’s response written on the reverse) from ‘cousin Walter Sweetman’ [of London?] Also included, a later letter (1930) of Gladys Sweetman in Berkshire (‘Mrs. Walter Sweetman’) sent to Agnes Sweetman regarding the activity of their respective sons abroad; 3 items

MS 47,563 /1 1917-20 Personal correspondence, including two letters from Francis Joseph Bigger (Belfast) on his research on 1798 (with an attached flyer for one of his books), a note from R.A. Anderson (secretary Irish Agricultural Organisational Society) forwarding a letter from a Mr. Willington, and two letters from a British-soldier friend based in Germany ; 14 items

MS 47,563 /2 1922-36 Personal correspondence. Includes letters from R.H. Froude and a letter from ‘Elsie’ [A.M. Sweetman, a cousin in Surrey], a letter from John Clarke regarding a commemoration of the sculptor Dr. John Hogan and a miscellaneous press-cutting about Hogan. Also, a letter from [Sr.?] W.J. Phelan about a fire in the Currie parish church (May 1930) and a letter from Fr. Jennings (Currie, Minn.) on his parishioners saying

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prayers for Sweetman in his [final] illness and expressing particular gratitude to him as a past pioneer ‘in planting the faith in our western midst’ (Jul. 1936). Also, a letter from James Sweetman (Sallins, Co. Kildare) to J.W. Sweetman (son), with an attached reply, about arranging a meeting of the executors of the will of John Sweetman in the wake of his death (Sep. 1936). Also included, a miscellaneous rulebook for the Dublin Chess Club (1925), a couple of letters from W. Nicholls (chess player) and admission cards for Royal Dublin Society and St. Gregory Society social evenings; 29 items

MS 47,563 /3 1932-1934 Correspondence with his nephew Gerard Sweetman, subjects include politics and John Sweetman’s career, the health of Gerald’s father. Also, one miscellaneous letter from ‘your cousin Hugh’ in Tracy, Minn; 7 items

VI.vii.1.d. Personal Correspondence of Agnes Sweetman

MS 47,563 /4 1899-[1910]

Letters to Agnes Sweetman, including a letter from Lady Nixon requesting support for the Abbey Players, with a copy of Agnes’ negative reply. A draft letter by Agnes [sent to the press] taking strong issue with a suggestion of Lord Aberdeen that sick children could be sent to a French consumptive hospital on the grounds of her knowledge of such institutions; 6 items

MS 47,563 /5 1910-17 Personal letters to Agnes Sweetman, including correspondence with Sarah Purser regarding a portrait of her. Also, communications from the Dublin Fire and Property Loses’ Association and the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts regarding compensation for an item [the portrait of John Sweetman by Sarah Purser] lost in the fire in the academy’s buildings during the rising. Also included, letters from Mary Walter Sweetman, Gertrude Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford), Jack Hanly (brother) and Sister Mary Evangelista OSB (with a picture postcard of the quarry of St. Benedict’s Priory, Colwich, attached). Also, one letter in German and some notes in Agnes’ hand [regarding a ladies’ book club]; 17 items

MS 47,563 /6 1920-32 Personal letters to Agnes Sweetman, including letters from her brothers Gus and Jack [Hanly], her sister Madeleine, her cousin Gertrude Scully, Mary Sparrow (housekeeper) and a letter from Caroline Schurmeier. Also, four letters from Loretto nuns at ‘Institut der Englischen Fraulein’ (Munich). Letters from Bill and Julia Aungier (cousin of John), and a

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letter from Gertrude Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford); 31 items

VI.vii.2. Other items

MS 47,563 /7 1889

A diary-like account (19pp) of a sailing trip taken around the southern coast of England during the summer of 1889, with a personal letter from M.A. Butler of Kensington; 2 items

MS 47,563 /8 1907, 1919-1936 Pocket ‘engagement diaries’ of John Sweetman for the years 1907, 1919-24, 1926-34 and 1936; 17 items

MS 47,563 /9 1910 A medical certificate from a doctor regarding Sweetman’s congested lung, an undated prescription for lumbago and a note in Sweetman’s hand describing his symptoms of ill-health; 3 items

VI.viii. John Walter Sweetman, 1898-1961

This section contains the personal papers of John Walter Sweetman the eldest son of John and Agnes Sweetman. John Walter married Olivia Dudley, and inherited the Drumbaragh estate after the death of his father. MS 47,564 /1 1908-1917

One letter from John Walter to his parents, an annotated envelope containing a gift of a pouch from John Walter’s aunt Sr. Teresa Magdelen, an envelope containing the prescription for John Walter’s glasses (1911), and three school reports for John Walter sent from Mount St. Benedicts and signed by headmaster Fr J.F. Sweetman; 7 items

MS 47,564 /2 1926, 1939 Two passports, one Irish and one German, of John Walter Sweetman; 2 items

MS 47,564 /3 1935 Certificate of marriage of John Walter Sweetman and Olivia J Dudley on 14 November 1934, certificate dated January 1935

MS 47,564 /4 1961, 1963 Newspaper cuttings relating to the Sweetman family including a obituary of John Walter and a piece entitled ‘Meeting the Sweetmans’;

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4 items

VI.ix. Malachi Sweetman

This section contains the personal papers of Malachi, the second son of John and Agnes Sweetman. MS 47,564 /5 1911-1932

Letters from Malachi Sweetman to his parent John and Agnes Sweetman while at school and during military training; 14 items

MS 47,564 /6 1918, 1931, undated Letters from Malachi Sweetman to his brother John Walter; 3 items

MS 47,564 /7 1919 Correspondence relating to Malachi while at school at Mount St. Benedict, and the possibility of sending him to a different school; c.35 items

MS 47,564 /8 1923, undated Letter to Agnes Sweetman from Kilmainham jail on Malachi’s health in prison, and notes in Malachi’s hand on his soldiers’ training; 2 items

MS 47,564 /9 1924 Affidavit of support, signed by Walter Sweetman (Minnesota), for Malachi’s application to come to the United States; 3pp

VI.x. Patrick Sweetman

This section contains the personal papers of Patrick, the third son of John and Agnes Sweetman, and his wife Ivy. MS 47,565 /1 1913-1925, undated

Letters from Patrick Sweetman to his parents, including two notes sent whilst a pupil at Mount St. Benedicts, also Lepe (Spain), Baden-Baden (Germany) and Strasbourg (France) during 1925 regarding his plans and his meetings with his brother William. Also included envelope containing the prescription for Patrick’s glasses; 9 items

MS 47,565 /2 1927, 1932-1935 Letters from Patrick Sweetman and his wife Ivy, principally to Agnes Sweetman, regarding their settling in Victoria, Australia. Other subjects include Patrick’s search for work, the birth of children, and general family matters, includes a railway map of Victoria; 36 items

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VI.xi. William Sweetman This section contains the personal papers of William, the fourth son of John and Agnes Sweetman and his wife Polly. MS 47,565 /3 1908, 1925-1928, undated

Letters from William Sweetman in Baden-Baden (Germany) to his parents, as well as three letters sent from Belgium. His letters to his father generally deal with business matters and the letters to his mother with family affairs. Also included are two miscellaneous items, including a letter from 1908 marked ‘about William’s cup’ and a note [in German] signed ‘John William, Drumbaragh, 24.6.1913’; 20 items

MS 47,565 /4 1930-33 Letters from William Sweetman in London to his parents, subjects include his work for the London office of the Irish Press, family affairs, his marriage and the subsequent travels of the young couple. Includes several letters to his mother from his wife Polly, including two letters with attached photographs; 40 items

VI.xii. Honoria and Alicia Sweetman

This section contains the personal papers of the two daughters of John and Agnes Sweetman, Honoria and Alicia. MS 47,565 /5 1916-18

Two letters from Honoria to her mother Agnes, and five letters from Mary McEvoy [servant in the family home in Kells] to Agnes Sweetman informing her of the health of her daughters Honoria and Alicia (May 1916). Also, a notebook marked ‘Honoria, 1918’ containing samples of various different pieces of foliage. 9-20 May 1916, 1918. 8 items

MS 47,565 /6 1921 A prospectus for the Benedictine boarding school at Kylemore Castle and for St. Mary’s Priory, Princethorpe, Rugby. Also several letters from St. Mary’s Priory to Mrs. Sweetman regarding her decision to send her daughters Honoria and Alicia there for schooling; 10 items

MS 47,565 /7 1925 A letter from Honoria and a letter from Alice Sweetman sent from the Loretto nuns’ ‘Institut der Englischen Fraulein’, Munich, Germany. Also, letters of Agnes Sweetman to and from Sr. Renata (of the same

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Loretto school) regarding her acceptance of Honoria and Alicia as pupils; 9 items

MS 47,565 /8 1934 Four letters from Honoria (including one picture-postcard sent from Florence) and two letters from Alicia, sent to their mother regarding their holiday together in Rome; 6 items

VI.xiii. Walter Sweetman of Clohamon, 1833-1905

This section contains the letters of the poet Walter Sweetman of Clohamon, county Wexford to John Sweetman. Walter was born in 1833 the son of Michael Sweetman (1779-1852) by his second marriage to Margaret Blackney, making him the half-uncle of John Sweetman. The section contains original letters as well as transcripts made by Sophie McConnell. MS 47,566 /1 1866

Eleven original letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman, with TS copies of these letters by Sophie McConnell; 22 items

MS 47,566 /2 1867 Eighteen original letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells), with TS copies of these letters by Sophie McConnell; 36 items

MS 47,566 /3 1867 Thirty-one original letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells), with TS copies of these letters by Sophie McConnell; 62 items

MS 47,566 /4 1868 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells); 30 items



MS 47,566 /7 1870 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John

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Sweetman (Kells);17 items


MS 47,566 /9 1872-74 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells); 15 items

MS 47,566 /10 1875-78 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells); 14 items


MS 47,567 /2 1880-82 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells, Co. Meath, and Currie, Minnesota); 17 items

MS 47,567 /3 1883 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Currie, Minnesota); 10 items

MS 47,567 /4 1884 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Currie, Minnesota); 14 items

MS 47,567 /5 1885-87 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells, Co. Meath, and Currie, Minnesota); 13 items

MS 47,567 /6 1888-89 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman. Includes copies of three letters of John to Walter Sweetman, including one dwelling on the ‘Plan of Campaign’ land agitation; 20 items

MS 47,567 /7 1890-98 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman. Includes a 3pp ballad by Walter Sweetman entitled ‘Wolfe Tone’s Grave’ [1898?]. Also, a press-cutting of a letter he wrote to the National Press (Mar. 1891) entitled ‘Canada and Home Rule—a Unionist’s View’; 17 items

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MS 47,567 /8 1899-1900

Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells, Co. Meath). Includes a flyer for several ‘works by Walter Sweetman B.A.’, including A Catholic philosophy of common sense, Libertas [1891], The reign of perfection: letters on a Liberal Catholic philosophy [1896], and Christian Rationalism: a reply to Mr. McCabe [1899?]. Also, a 2pp ballad, written Sep. 1899, entitled ‘The Boer Mother to Her Son’; 15 items

MS 47,567 /9 1901-1905 Letters of Walter Sweetman (Clohamon, Ferns, Co. Wexford) to John Sweetman (Kells, Co. Meath); 20 items

MS 47,567 /10 1998 and undated A 2pp biographical note about Walter Sweetman in the hand of John Sweetman, with a letter from Sophie Sweetman McConnell (New York) to John Oliver Sweetman (Dublin) regarding her progress in transcribing and editing the letters of Walter Sweetman; 2 items

VI.xiv. John Andrew Sweetman

This section contains the letters of John Andrew Sweetman to John Sweetman, as well as papers relating to the disposal of his estate and bequest made by him to John Sweetman. MS 47,568 /1 1889-91

Letters from ‘JAS [John Andrew Sweetman], Reform Club London’ to John Sweetman (St. Stephens Green Club, Dublin), with copies of some replies. Most letters deal with securing the election of the latter as a member of the Reform Club, London. Includes some references to the failing health of the former as well as possible business deals; 19 items

MS 47,568 /2 1894, 1899 Two auction brochures for the sale of J.A. Sweetman’s property in Sutton, Co. Dublin (Mar. 1894). Also, letters from Edward Fitzgerald (solicitor) to John Sweetman. These letters relate to the forwarding to John Sweetman of a copy of the will of J.A. Sweetman, a £50 legacy (not included) and a pocket book of Wolfe Tone [this item was donated to National Museum in 1936] these items were formerly in the possession of J.A. Sweetman. Also includes copies of Sweetman’s replies to Fitzgerald; 8 items

MS 47,568 /3 1900 A copy of A little manual of the poor man’s daily devotion, collected out of several pious and approved authors, by W.C. (London, 1735)

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[346pp]. Information about the Sweetman family c.1730-c.1760 is annotated on the inside the front cover. This item, formerly the property of John Andrew Sweetman, was given to John Sweetman by Edward Fitzgerald (solicitor) on 9 May 1900 (solicitor’s letter and envelope included); 3 items

VI.xv. John Oliver Sweetman

This section contains the personal papers of John Oliver Sweetman, the eldest son of John Walter and Olivia Sweetman, and his wife Elmah Young. MS 47,568 /4 1947

Letter to Mrs [Olivia] Sweetman from Matthew Dillon, Glenstal Priory School enclosing prospectus [presumably a possible school for John Oliver]; 3 items

MS 47,568 /5 1955-1957 Papers relating to the discharge of Private John Sweetman from An Forsa Cosanta Aitiuil; 5 items

MS 47,568 /6 c.1990s Letter to John Oliver Sweetman about the Mount St. Benedict School established by John Francis Sweetman; 6pp

MS 47,568 /7 1993, undated Letters and card to John Oliver and Elma Sweetman from friends and family; 6 items

VI.xvi. Other family papers

MS 47,568 /8 1929

Exercise book containing notes on Criminal and Roman Law; c.50pp

MS 47,568 /9 Undated Photocopy of pages from a book containing a biography of Fr. Michael Sweetman, d.1996; 4pp

MS 47,568 /10 Undated Small collection of family photographs, almost all are unidentified, three are identified as Honoria [Sweetman] and her mother [Lydia O’Connor]; 10 items [a set of negatives has been removed for conservation]

MS 47,568 /11 Undated

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Miscellaneous papers, mostly unidentified notes or accounts; c.30 items

MS 47,569 Various Collection of Sweetman family objects;

• Set of chess pieces with broken box • Wooden box in the shape of a Swiss chalet • Two copperplate printing blocks for ‘Mr John Sweetman’ • Two suitcase keys • Irish 2s6d coin • American dollar bill • Cloths with sketches of churches • Packet of Ballyowen cigarettes, made at Fr. J M Sweetman’s

School at Mt. St. Benedicts, Gorey • Three copperplates of Catholic Chapel in Currie, Minnesota • Religious and devotional works • Small sewing kit

1 box

MS 47,570 MS 47,571

Various Envelopes addressed to various members of the Sweetman family which have come detached from their letters; 2 boxes

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PART TWO – PAPERS OF JOHN SWEETMAN Part two of this list contains the political and professional papers of John Sweetman. These papers cover his political career from the 1860s to the 1930s, his involvement in the Irish American Colonisation Company, and his correspondence relating to the colonies in Minnesota and his support of various religious organisations. The personal correspondence, estate, financial and family papers of John Sweetman can be found in part one of this list, where they form part of the wider collection of Sweetman family papers.

VII. Political Career John Sweetman took an active part in Irish politics from the 1860s to the 1930s. This section contains the papers relating to his political career. They have been divided into twelve sections dealing either with a particular period in Irish politics, Sweetman’s association with a political group or a political position held by Sweetman. Within these twelve sections the material has been arranged chronologically. Newspaper cuttings relating to John Sweetman’s involvement in politics can be found in part three of this collection.

VII.i. Early political associations, 1866-67 MS 47, 572 1866-1867

A copy of resolutions made at a Liberal party meeting in Queen’s County (18 Jan. 1866). Also, letters regarding the organisation of the ‘Bright Banquet’ in Dublin (Sept. 1866) and Sweetman’s enrolment in the National Association (Jan.1867). Also, a press-cutting of a letter of A.J. Kettle (Freeman’s Journal, 21 Jan. 1867) and a statement of the Catholic hierarchy (Dublin Evening Telegraph, 30 Dec. 1867); 10 items

VII.ii. The land question, 1877-80

MS 47, 573 /1 1877

A letter from the Royal Agricultural Society of England, informing Sweetman of his election as a member (7 Nov.), and a letter from Alfred Webb [16 Nov. 1877]. Also included is a flyer reprinting an anonymous letter in the Munster Express (Dec.) requesting no public agitation on the land question to take place until 1880. The flyer is signed by Sweetman and John Fowler of Waterford. Also, press-cuttings of Sweetman letters to the Freeman’s Journal on the education question and the general political situation. Also, some notes taken from contemporary publications and a copy of a letter of Sweetman to E. Dwyer Gray (editor of the Freeman’s Journal), forwarding a

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subscription in support of a defendant in a libel case in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork; 10 items

MS 47, 573 /2 1878 Drafts of Sweetman’s proposed election address in the event of his being nominated as Liberal Party candidate for Co. Meath. Also a letter from Edward [Markey], declining to support him, various notes and two letters sent to the Freeman’s Journal on the political situation. Jun.-Dec. 1878; 19 items

MS 47, 573 /3 1878-1879 A note from Matthew Harris (Sept. 1878), forwarding the rules of the Ballinasloe Tenants’ Defence Association, and a note from ‘M.M. [Malachi] O’Sullivan’ of the same association. Also a circular appeal of the association and two press-cuttings, including a cutting of a Sweetman letter commenting on Harris’ proposals; 5 items

MS 47, 573 /4 1878-1879 Letters from Thomas O’Rourke, secretary of the Kerry Tenants Defence Association, with three related press-cuttings. Also, a press-cutting of a Tralee speech of Parnell and a copy of the rules and regulations of the Kerry Tenants Defence; 14 items

MS 47, 573 /5 1878-1879 A letter from Fr. P. Kelly regarding the establishment of the Meath Tenants Defence Association. Also, a flyer of the same association and a letter of Sweetman, declining to support an action it took. Also, drafts of various rules and regulations for a proposed ‘Meath Farmers Union’; 6 items

MS 47, 573 /6 1878-1879 Letters and press-cuttings relating to the Central Tenants Defence Association in Dublin. Also, press-cuttings about a [Land League?] public meeting in Co. Mayo and a letter of Michael Davitt to the Freeman’s Journal; 11 items

MS 47, 573 /7 1879 A copy of a 14pp. pamphlet by ‘X.Y.Z.’ (John Sweetman) entitled The Irish Land Question: being extracts from a pamphlet by the late John Stuart Mill entitled “England and Ireland”, together with a few words on the means of obtaining its settlement (Dublin, 1879). Also, a damaged copy of the same pamphlet annotated ‘John Sweetman, December 1878’. Also, a letter to and from Longman’s (publishers) regarding Sweetman’s request for permission to reproduce extracts of Mill’s writings; 4 items

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MS 47, 573 /8 1879 A letter from James Collins (Dublin), forwarding on behalf of ‘Mr. [A.J.] Kettle’ a 3pp. list of the secretaries of all tenant-right clubs in the country. Also an undated note of Sweetman, listing the contact details of three such secretaries; 3 items

MS 47, 573 /9 1879 Drafts of rules and two copies (one annotated) of a printed prospectus of Sweetman’s proposed ‘Irish Farmers Union’, designed to amalgamate all the farmers clubs and tenant defence associations in the country. Also, letters of various individuals in response to this idea and two related press-cuttings from The Tenant Farmer (Belfast). Also, a draft of rules for a proposed ‘Central Farmers’ Association of Ireland’.; 19 items

MS 47, 573 /10 1879 Three letters from Frank Hugh O’Donnell MP about his efforts in England to establish a single land-law reform movement for both Britain and Ireland. Also, a flyer of The Farmers’ Alliance (London) and a letter acknowledging Sweetman’s subscription to it. Also, a copy of a pamphlet [1879] entitled On the Land Laws by W.H. Duignan (London); 6 items

MS 47, 574 /1 1879 Letters from G. Shaw Lefebvre, John O’Hagan, The O’Conor Don and George Errington expressing disbelief regarding the practicality of launching a land-law reform agitation under current circumstances. Also, a letter from Alfred Webb, expressing doubt whether or not he will again take part in politics; 5 items

MS 47, 574 /2 1879 Letters from Thomas Robertson (Athy) regarding politics and the tenant-right cause. Also, a letter from P. Cahill (Athy), forwarding the rules of the Kildare Tenants’ Defence Association, with a copy of Sweetman’s reply; 10 items

MS 47, 574 /3 1879 A letter from C.S. Parnell (10 Oct.) with a copy of an appeal to launch a new land agitation. Also, a printed circular letter of Parnell (17 Oct.) and a 4pp report on the inaugural meeting of the Irish National Land League (21 Oct.). The report includes a reproduction of Sweetman’s resolution at this meeting that Parnell be elected president of the league; 4 items

MS 47, 574 /4 1879 A letter from Thomas Rochford (Nenagh, Co. Tipperary), praising a

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letter of Sweetman in the Freeman’s Journal and expressing distaste for the radicalism of Michael Davitt and the Land League (1 Nov. 1879). Also, a flyer reproducing a statement of Rochford before the Nenagh Poor Law Union (20 Nov. 1879); 2 items

MS 47, 574 /5 1879-1880 A letter of Sweetman to his mother Honoria on the land agitation and the question of the clergy’s involvement (9 Jun.1879). Also, a letter from Fidelis W. Sweetman (New Haven, Connecticut) about a local meeting that was addressed by C.S. Parnell and John Dillon (1 Feb. 1880); 2 items

MS 47, 574 /6 1879-1880 Two statements about Sweetman’s plan to establish his own private company to assist tenants to buy their land. Also, letters of several individuals in response to this idea. Also, a note by Sweetman and some letters from Thomas Rochford (Nenagh, Co. Tipperary) regarding this issue, and their plan to provide loans to tenants in Tipperary; 13 items

MS 47, 574 /7 1880 A copy of a letter of Sweetman on Irish disaffection, claiming that poverty rather than disloyalty was its cause (3 Mar.). Also, a letter of invitation from Fr. R. Lynch (P.P., Mount Nugent, Co. Cavan) to attend a local land meeting (13 Mar.), with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply written on the reverse, claiming it was unsafe to attend such meetings at a time when ‘Messrs [Michael] Davitt and [Thomas] Brennan … [are] instilling dangerous doctrines into the minds of the people’; 2 items

MS 47, 574 /8 1880 A printed circular, bearing the names of Maurice Butterly, A.J. Kettle and John Sweetman (honorary secretaries), requesting attendance at a meeting of the ‘Tenants’ Central Association’ to discuss the forthcoming general election (15 Mar.). Also, a letter from Butterly and from Sweetman, each stating that they considered this association to have disbanded upon been merged with the Land League some time ago and that the circular was therefore meaningless; 3 items

MS 47, 574 /9 1881 A copy of a postcard that was sent by ‘J.[P?] O’Brien [of Dublin?]’ to Prime Minister W.E. Gladstone but returned to the General Post Office in Dublin (June 1881) with a receipt of acknowledgement. The subject of the letter is the government’s handling of Irish disaffection; 2 items

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VII.iii. The Irish Parliamentary Party, 1884-1892 MS 47,575 /1 1884-1885

A copy of a Sweetman letter to Prof. Baldwin asking about his chances of being elected to parliament for Meath, with an unfavourable reply (Apr.1884). Also, copies of letters to Dr. Nulty (Bishop of Meath) and C.S. Parnell requesting their support in standing for parliament for Meath, with a negative reply from Parnell (18 Feb.). Also, copies of a proposed election address by Sweetman, setting out his political views. Also, a draft of a similar statement [1884-85] expressing his belief that great political changes were coming; 11 items

MS 47,575 /2 1885-1886 Two letters from the secretary of the Irish Artisans’ Exhibition, a letter from J. Butler (R.M., Mallow) in praise of a Sweetman letter to the Freeman’s Journal (Aug. 1885) and a copy of a Sweetman’s letter on Irish politics sent to Hibernia (Oct. 1885). Also, a copy of the Irish National League branch rules, a postcard (sent c/o Henry Dixon) from P. O’Connor McLaughlin, and a copy of a Sweetman letter to ‘Mr Hill’ in favour of free trade (22 Jul. [188]6). Also included is a copy of the Irish Times reprint (16 Apr. 1886) of the terms of the Government of Ireland Bill and a press-cutting of a statement of Cardinal Manning on the Irish question (1 Jul.1886); 9 items

MS 47,575 /3 1887 A draft of a 10pp [unpublished?] Sweetman article entitled ‘An appeal to modern Irishmen by a recent convert to home rule’ [1887], with a copy of a note sent to Easons and W.H. Smith requesting them to print copies. Also, a copy of a letter (an edited version of ‘an appeal to moderate Irishmen’) entitled ‘The future of Ireland’ [1887]. Also, a miscellaneous page of notes and a draft of a 2pp statement by Sweetman on the land question [1887]; 5 items

MS 47,575 /4 1887 A letter from and copies of letters to Vincent Scully and Thomas Spring Rice, 2nd Baron Monteagle, dealing with Sweetman’s idea of establishing a moderate ‘centre party’ to ensure against destructive class conflicts emerging in a future, self-governing Ireland. Also, a copy of a letter of Sweetman to the Irish Times dealing with the same theme and the subject of emigration. Also, an undated note by Sweetman about Chief Secretary Balfour’s policy of coercion; 8 items

MS 47,575 /5 1889 A copy of a circular letter by Sweetman, appealing for landlords to support home rule, with dismissive replies from Robert Fowler and Arthur Kavanagh of the Sackville Street Club. Also, a copy of

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Sweetman letters donating £10 to a ‘National Indemnity Fund’ (to defend William O’Brien MP) and donating £50 to the Irish Tenants Defence League. Also, cuttings of letters by Michael Davitt and by Jeremiah Jordan (Methodist radical and an Irish Party MP for Clare) to the Freeman’s Journal on the university question (Sept.), with a draft of an intended response by Sweetman. Also, a copy of a letter (incomplete), apologising for an attack made upon an individual in the Freeman’s Journal; 9 items

MS 47,575 /6 1890-1891 A letter from and copy of two letters to Fr. Laurence Gaughran of Kells, later Bishop of Meath, regarding the latter’s desire that Sweetman stand for election (23 Apr., 19 Jul. 1890). Also, a copy of a note from Sweetman to Alfred Webb, donating £100 to support the Irish Party ‘against the attempts of Mr. Parnell to become their master instead of their leader’ (18 Dec.1890), with a reply (1 Jan.1891). Also, letters regarding Sweetman’s admission to the Reform Club in London (Mar. 1891), a certificate for Sweetman’s purchase of 200 shares in the Irish National Press Ltd. (est. Mar. 1891), a cover-note for a subscription of Sweetman to the Irish National Federation (with a request that he be made a member of its central body) and a card from David Sheehy (in a miniature green folder) certifying that John Sweetman of Currie, Minnesota, had been made a member of the central body of the Irish National Federation (20 May 1891). Also included, a copy of a letter to Vincent Scully [Parnellite candidate at Kilkenny], statements on Parnell’s character and the significance of the current political controversy (11 Jul. 1891), and a copy of a Sweetman letter to the National Press (20 Nov. 1891); 24 items

MS 47,575 /7 1890-92 Letters from H.E. Ivimey, secretary of the British Labour Association. Letters deal with Sweetman’s donation of £10 (Mar. 1890), a request for a further donation (Mar. 1891) and the general work of the Labour Association. Included are several pamphlets Ivimey sent about the association’s work in organising cooperatives, festivals and lectures. Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter sent to Ivimey, a letter from Henry Vivian (new secretary) on Labour’s prospects (with an attached receipt for Sweetman’s donation of £20, Jan.1892) and a flyer of the Cooperative Institute Society of London; 12 items

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VII.iv. MP for Wicklow East, 1892-95 MS 47,576 /1 1892

Material relating to Sweetman’s parliamentary electoral campaign for East Wicklow. Includes a letter from David Sheehy, announcing that Sweetman will be proposed to stand for parliament at a Bray convention on 2 Jun, and a letter from Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde, with a reply from Sweetman, regarding his willingness to stand. Also, three drafts of campaign speeches, a circular letter and a parliamentary election form, signed by Sweetman, appointing John Brennan as his election agent. A flyer advertising Sweetman’s support of a Meath parliamentary candidate ‘Mr. [James] Gibney’. Also included, a ‘Return Relating to Election Charges’ providing statistics regarding the cost of Sweetman’s campaign and the margin of his victory; 11 items

MS 47,576 /2 1892 Letters from some Wicklow Irish National Federation members, or constituents. Includes a letter from Fr. O’Byrne [Irish National Federation, Bray] with a receipt for Sweetman’s contribution of £50 to the Evicted Tenants Fund;11 items

MS 47,576 /3 1892 Letters to and from Horace Plunkett. The principal subject is their mutual appreciation and similar economic but differing political opinions. Also, a copy of two Sweetman letters regarding Plunkett, including a defence of Plunkett’s character that he contributed to the Freeman’s Journal. Also, documents regarding Sweetman’s admission to the British Economic Association (Sept.) and the holding a Wicklow Regatta (Jun.) and a note by Sweetman on the question of devolution (undated [1892]); 13 items

MS 47,576 /4 1892 A letter from William Martin Murphy, requesting support for a collection for Justin McCarthy (2 May). Also, a letter of Justin McCarthy requesting attendance at parliament (undated [11 Aug. 1892]), a copy of a letter sent to ‘[Thomas A.] Dickson’ [a director of the National Press] about the national press; and a copy of a letter to Michael Davitt, regarding the latter’s support of royal magistrates (23 Sept.), with a reply. Also, a sympathetic letter from Thomas Butler (R.M., Cork) and a letter from Fr. Gaughran (Kells) regarding the accusations of undue clerical influence being used in the Meath elections in favour of Michael Davitt; 8 items

MS 47,576 /5 [1892]-1893 A report of a mass-meeting of Irish-Americans, held in honour of

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Sweetman, in St. Paul, Minn. (12 Dec. 1892), with a TS copy of a Sweetman letter on the same meeting (to ‘[J.D.] O’Brien’) and some related correspondence. Also, TS copies (some in faded print) of two different addresses on the question of home rule delivered by Sweetman in the United States (undated [1892]). Also, a letter of W.J. O’Nahan of Chicago (member of the Columbian Catholic Congress of the United States) forwarding a notice about an Irish home rule demonstration in Chicago (Jan. 1893); 10 items

MS 47,576 /6 1893 Letters from Co. Wicklow organisers for the Irish National Federation (INF), namely Fr. Byrne (Ashford), Fr. Monahan (Kilbride), Fr. Clarke (Wicklow), Fr. O’Byrne [‘O’Beirne’] (Bray), Fr. Farrelly (Arklow) and Fr. O’Gorman (Tinahely). Subjects include the appointment of Catholic magistrates, government patronage and the organisation of ‘district councils’ within the INF. Some Sweetman replies are either attached to or written on the reverse of letters. Also, a copy of a letter of Sweetman to the Irish Catholic (18 Dec.) on preparing for a general election, as well as an 8pp draft of an address to his constituents reflecting on the party’s achievements during 1893 (undated [Dec.1893]). Also included, a couple of miscellaneous letters from Edward Fitzgerald, including one forwarding a note from F.M. Cruise; 21 items

MS 47,576 /7 1893 Sweetman letters to John Morley (Chief Secretary) and Samuel Walker (Lord Chancellor of Ireland), with acknowledgments in reply. The principal subject is suggestions regarding the appointment of county magistrates and forwarding questions regarding the Wicklow Harbour Board and an evicted farmer. Also included are letters to Sweetman from Captain Hamilton (Wicklow Harbour Board) and R.H. Davis of Bray (county magistrate candidate), with some copies of replies. Also, a miscellaneous letter to the Lord Mayor of London (15 Feb); 15 items

MS 47,576 /8 1893 A letter from Alfred Webb, thanking Sweetman for his donation of £500 to the Irish Parliamentary Fund (18 Feb.). Also, circular letters sent to all Freeman’s Journal shareholders regarding a dispute involving the company directors. Also, three letters from Archbishop William Walsh (a company director), a copy of a Sweetman letter to Archbishop Walsh on this dispute and another letter about employment practices at Queen’s College Galway (with an attached newspaper-clipping). Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to Thomas Sexton MP (a Freeman’s Journal director), appealing to him to persuade John Dillon not to continue his quarrel with T.M. Healy (18 May). Also, a letter (incomplete) of Sweetman to the secretary of the Freeman’s Journal, forwarding a complaint made by the Bray branch of the Irish National

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Federation regarding the paper’s reporting of their activities; 14 items

MS 47,576 /9 1893 A copy of the first and amended drafts of the Government of Ireland Bill (17 Feb., 27 Jul.). Also, letters from R.M. Barrington (Bray) and Fr. Monahan (Kilbride) on the bill. Also, three drafts (one typescript) for Sweetman’s maiden parliamentary speech (made during the second reading of the bill). Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to the Dublin Stock Exchange, criticising a petition Dublin stock brokers circulated against home rule. Also, a press-cutting of a Sweetman letter to an American newspaper about the bill. Also included, a miscellaneous report by the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce on the Savings Bank Bill (1893); 13 items

MS 47,576 /10 1893-1894 A printed copy of a 7pp letter of Edward Blake MP, addressed to ‘Mr. [Justin] McCarthy’, about his being sent to America to collect funds for the Irish Party and the issues facing the party (Nov.1893). Also, a printed copy of a 2pp letter of Blake to Thomas Addis Emmet [president of the Irish National Federation of America] (Nov. 1893). Also, a 3pp printed circular letter of Arthur O’Connor MP to his colleagues in the Irish Parliamentary Party, as well as a 10pp printed circular letter of Arthur O’Connor MP to the secretary and members of the Executive of the Irish National Federation of America, both written in response to allegations made by Edward Blake MP (Feb. 1894); 4 items

MS 47,577 /1 1893-1894 An illuminated manuscript, certifying that John Sweetman became a member of the Irish National Federation of America (INFA) on 2 Jan. 1893. Also, a circular letter of the INFA to the Irish Parliamentary Party, emphasising the impossibility of collecting funds in America if the party continued to be beset by divisions (9 Dec.). Also, letters between Sweetman and Thomas Addis Emmet [president of INFA] on this subject with one printed copy of this correspondence (distributed at Justin McCarthy’s suggestion to all members of the Irish Parliamentary Party as a 4pp pamphlet). Also, letters of Sweetman (copies) to McCarthy, with one reply, on the subject of constituents’ anger. Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to the Freeman’s Journal (11 Jan. 1894) and a letter to and from the ‘Irish-American Bank’ regarding money that was collected in Minneapolis for the home rule fund. Also, three note-pages of quotes from newspapers; 19 items

MS 47,577 /2 1894 General political correspondence with Wicklow constituents, including Wicklow INF leaders such as Fr. Farrelly (Arklow) and Fr. O’Byrne

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(Bray). Subjects include government patronage, local disputes, voter registration, church building and the general political situation. Also, three clippings [from Hansard] about questions Sweetman raised in parliament. 3 Jan.-11 Oct. 1894; 37 items

MS 47,577 /3 1894 Letters and documents regarding a libel action taken by Patrick MacDonnell (clerk to Bray Town Council) against the members of the Bray INF in response to their allegation that he had failed to be impartial in his reports on municipal affairs in the Freeman’s Journal (Mar.). Also included, three letters relating to a claim that staff formerly employed by C.S. Parnell [at Avondale] were being persecuted and boycotted due to their Protestantism (Jan.); 12 items

MS 47,577 /4 1894 Letters to and from Patrick MacDonnell (clerk to Bray Town Council) as well as members of the Wicklow Harbour Board regarding their desire to have concerns about the management of Bray and Wicklow harbours brought to the attention of the government; 15 items

MS 47,577 /5 1894 Copies of Sweetman’s letters to, and letters from, Samuel Walker (the Lord Chancellor of Ireland) and Edward Ennis (secretary to Walker) regarding the appointment of county magistrates and justices of the peace for Co. Wicklow; 8 items

MS 47,577 /6 1894 Letters from, and copies of Sweetman’s letters to, the Dublin branch of the ‘Postal Telegraph Clerks Association’ regarding his raising their concerns in the House of Commons, with some [Hansard] clippings on the issue; 15 items

MS 47,577 /7 1894 A copy of a defeated resolution of Sweetman and P.G.H. Carvill [MP for Newry] that the Irish Party not issue appeals for funding until a meeting was first held to discuss party reunification (7 May). Also, a letter to and from Fr. Farrelly [INF conference delegate for Co. Wicklow] regarding the justice of current appeals for Irish Party funding (26 May). Also, a copy of a circular letter sent by Sweetman and Carvill to all Irish Party members requesting signatures to a resolution proposing that the Irish Party call upon the government to dissolve due to its failure to deliver ‘home rule’, and that McCarthy, T.M. Healy and Thomas Sexton should agree to deliver this resolution jointly to the government (18 Jun.). Included are one positive and eight negative (including highly critical) responses to this proposal by Irish Party members, as well as one neutral response (from T.M. Healy).

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Also, copies of press-reports regarding this action; 22 items

MS 47,577 /8 1894 Drafts of five statements by Sweetman on disunity within the Irish Party, the difficulties facing the party since the resignation of Gladstone and the general political situation (undated [1894]). Also, two brief notes by Sweetman on the question of labour. Also, drafts of seven Sweetman letters that were to the press; 14 items

MS 47,577 /9 1894 A letter to T.M. Healy, with a sympathetic reply, protesting about McCarthy’s issuing of an appeal to British Liberals to fund the Irish Party. Also, a cutting of Sweetman’s letter to the Freeman’s Journal (4 Sept.), accusing the Irish Party’s leadership of incompetence. Also, an anonymous short message (written on a political cartoon) received in reply, comparing Sweetman to John Sadleir and William Keogh and accusing him of attempting to destroy the Irish Party. Also two letters from P.A. Chance MP, with a copy of a reply, expressing support for Sweetman. Chance identifies Matthias Bodkin as the author of the Freeman Journal attacks upon Sweetman, and reflects on the financial troubles of some Irish Party figures; 8 items

MS 47,577 /10 1894 Copies of four Sweetman letters to Justin McCarthy, requesting clarification of the funding situation and reasserting his belief that the Dillon and Healy sections of the party must reunite. Also, two replies from McCarthy, forwarding a recent Irish Party circular (issued by treasurer J.F.X. O’Brien) and noting that a private meeting of the Irish Party may be held soon. Also, notes taken by Sweetman from the Westminster Gazette; 9 items

MS 47,577 /11 1894 Supportive or sympathetic letters sent to Sweetman during his quarrel with the Irish Party leadership. Letters are from P.A. Chance (MP Kilkenny South), P.G.H. Carvill (MP Newry), E.F.V. Knox (MP Cavan West), John Lowry (BL) and Laurence Flood (Dublin). Also, copies of two Sweetman letters to John Daly Devereux (Ferns, Co. Wexford), encouraging him to run for parliament with a reply from Devereux that he would not unless this action was supported by the Catholic hierarchy. Also, a press-cutting from the Irish Catholic and Nation (6 Oct.), quoting sympathetically from the Home Rule Bulletin [INFA official organ] when it accused the Freeman’s Journal of acting dishonestly in the current controversy; 14 items

MS 47,578 /1 1894-95 A communication received from the Freeman’s Journal (Dec. 1894)

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and some notes taken by Sweetman (from the press) on the public comments of some of his contemporaries; 10 items

MS 47,578 /2 1895 General political correspondence. Includes some letters from constituents, a few items relating to the Wicklow Harbour Board case (including a request to Justin McCarthy to speak on his behalf about the matter), a letter from Fr. Farrelly and a copy of a letter to the Wicklow People. Also, two letters from G. Winifred Dickson requesting support for a parliamentary resolution in favour of women’s suffrage, with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply (Feb.). Also, a letter from P.G.H. Carvill and a copy of a letter of Sweetman to the Irish Daily Independent (19 Mar.). Also, a few letters from and copies of letter to Thomas Butler (Cork) on the subject of political patronage and related matters (May); 28 items

MS 47,578 /3 1895 Eight drafts and four printed copies (one annotated) of Sweetman’s announcement to his constituents that he would resign his seat because of his strong dissatisfaction with the Irish Party. Also, a copy of a letter to Fr. Farrelly on the same theme. Also, a copy of a letter to W.V. Harcourt (Lord Chancellor of England) requesting permission to resign his seat, with a reply announcing Sweetman’s appointment ‘to the Stewardship of the Manor of Northstead’ [a fictional position created to provide a legal-loophole whereby MPs could resign from parliament, despite being legally forbidden from doing so, due to their appointment to a judicial position]; 15 items

MS 47,578 /4 1895 Letters regarding Sweetman’s resignation, with a copy of a Sweetman letter (11 Apr.) to The People (Wexford). Correspondents include Fr. O’Byrne, Fr. Farrelly, P.A. Chance [ex-MP] and a Scottish priest who had been chastised by his superiors for holding Parnellite sympathies. Also, a Sweetman letter to Justin McCarthy on his decision to resign, with an acknowledgement sent in reply; 16 items

MS 47,578 /5 1895 Letters regarding Sweetman’s growing association with the Parnellite faction and his standing (unsuccessfully) as an independent ‘home rule’ candidate for North Meath. Includes communications from Tim Harrington, P.G.H. Carvill and the Irish National Amnesty Association. Also, three printed copies of Sweetman’s address to the electors of North Meath (8 Jul.) with some notes. Also, two responses to his address, including an offer by Patrick Cahill (Irish Unionist Alliance) to canvass for him; 28 items

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MS 47,578 /6 1895-96 A sheet listing the names of the members of the Irish Parliamentary Party with four names (including Sweetman’s) blanked out. Also, a letter from Thomas P. Fox (Dublin), encouraging Sweetman to re-enter politics, and a letter from Tim Harrington [editor United Ireland] informing Sweetman that the priests were ready to support him, in secret, if he chose to re-enter politics and stand for South Louth. Also, letters from Sweetman, dismissing these suggestions, but suggesting that a Dublin convention be held to counter a pro-Dillon convention in Irish-America. Also, a letter from James Murphy (author, Blackrock, Co. Dublin) suggesting that Sweetman’s remain in politics and launch a newspaper, with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply written on the reverse (Sep. 1895). Also, two drafts of a statement in Sweetman’s hand (undated [1896]), suggesting a newspaper editorial policy that might help to restore unity to the Irish Party; 11 items

MS 47,578 /7 1896 A letter from John Redmond, asking whether Sweetman would like to identify with his party or accept a seat on the directors’ board of the Independent newspapers, with a copy of a negative but friendly reply of Sweetman on the reverse (27 May). Also, a letter from Redmond requesting attendance at a convention, with a copy of a negative reply written on the reverse (7 Oct.). Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to T.M. Healy, suggesting that he was best placed to lay the foundation of a united Irish Party (27 Nov.), with a dismissive reply from Healy (30 Nov.); 4 items

VII.v. Political activities, 1897-1902

Within this section are papers relating to Sweetman’s involvement in the Irish Financial Reform League. MS 47,579 /1 1897

Letters and documents regarding the establishment of the ‘Irish Financial Reform League’ (to protest against the over-taxation of Ireland). Includes a copy of Sweetman’s letter to the press, proposing its establishment. Also, communications from Thomas Kennedy (secretary of Dublin Mansion House Committee) and Dr. Browne (Bishop of Cloyne), as well as printed reports of meetings of the Mansion House Committee (Apr.-May). Also, subscription letters of men applying to become members of the ‘Irish Financial Reform League’ and a notebook listing enrolled members (Jun.-Aug.). Also, a letter from Captain O’Callaghan Westropp J.P. (19 Nov. [1897]) arguing that trying to establish such a league without parliamentarians’ support would be useless. Also, a friendly letter to and from Daniel

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Tallon (Lord Mayor of Dublin); 44 items

MS 47,579 /2 1898 An address by Sweetman to the Navan branch of the Irish Financial Reform League. Also, a letter to A. Keogh-Nolan (secretary of Irish Financial Reform League), a letter from James Martin (journalist) on the financial question (with a copy of Sweetman’s reply), and a note from W.J. Lane, Irish manager of the New York Life Assurance Co. and a Cork member of Irish Financial Reform League. Also, a miscellaneous note and a letter on voter registration in Dublin; 7 items

MS 47,579 /3 1898 Letters from J.P. Dunne (secretary of the ‘Wolfe Tone and United Irishmen Memorial Committee’) and circulars of the same organisation. Includes notifications of meetings and progress reports. Also, an acknowledgment of Sweetman’s donation of £20, his membership card, and copies of a few Sweetman letters, including one about his inability to act as a co-opted member of the memorial committee. Also, a copy of a 1798 centenary speech of Sweetman (undated [1898]) and miscellaneous two letters from a Kells brass band; 13 items

MS 47,579 /4 1899 General political correspondence. Includes letters regarding the Irish Financial Reform League and the new county councils. Also, two draft statements by Sweetman explaining why he refused to join the United Irish League. Also, a copy of a Sweetman cover-letter (addressed to Alfred Webb) for a £5 donation to a pro-Boer fund. Also, two letters from The O’Conor Don and a 3pp circular letter from Horace Plunkett (president of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society; 15 items

MS 47,579 /5 1899-1900 Documents relating to the ‘Wolfe Tone and United Irishmen Memorial Committee’, including letters from J.P. Dunne (secretary) and some organisational circulars (including notification of the unification of the committee with a rival 1798 centenary body). Subjects include the election of Sweetman as an honorary member and honorary treasurer of the committee, a memorial for Napper Tandy (Apr.1900) and the winding up of all work of the association (Oct. 1900), with the exception of planning a monument to Wolfe Tone. Also included is a flyer of the pro-Boer ‘Irish Transvaal Committee’ (Nov. 1899) and a letter from Daniel Tallon (mayor) requesting Sweetman to speak during the laying of the foundation stone for the Parnell monument (Sept. 1899), with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply; 17 items

MS 47,579 /6 1900 General political correspondence. Includes letters to and from Thomas

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Kennedy and T.M. Healy regarding the general election. Also, a copy of the election address of James McCann [Dublin candidate], letters regarding the Meath campaign of James Gibney and a copy of a note from Sweetman, declining an invitation to support a testimonial to Tim Harrington; 9 items

MS 47,579 /7 1900-1902 Requests to support various Dublin societies, charities or institutions, including the National Maternity Hospital (Nov.1902). Also, 2pp of an issue of The Irish Grocer (Belfast) on the concerns of various Irish trades (20 Oct. 1900); 10 items

MS 47,579 /8 1901-1902 A note from John Redmond, with an attached flyer of the United Irish Parliamentary Fund (1 Jan.1901). Also, a flyer on ‘Irish Financial Relations’ (written by Thomas Lough) and a circular letter of A. Keogh Nolan (Apr. 1901). Also, a letter from William Dennehy (27 Jul.1902), inviting Sweetman to become a director of the Irish Independent Co. Ltd. (with a copy of his negative reply written on the reverse) and a flyer issued by a group of Catholic laymen about the university question (6 Mar. 1902). Also, a letter from and to James Sharpe (Belfast mechanic) and Neal Synott (Dublin) on the national and university questions respectively; 12 items

VII.vi. Meath County Council, 1899-1903

MS 47,580 /1 1899

Letters and documents relating to Sweetman’s nomination, election and earliest activities as a Meath County Councillor (Kells Division). Includes a poster listing the results of the Meath elections. Also, a press-cutting of his election address and a copy of a letter to the Meath Chronicle regarding Sweetman’s attempt to remove the Union Jack from Mullingar Court House. Also, letters to and from Fr. Gaughran on the compulsory education question; 20 items

MS 47,580 /2 1900-1901 Letters relating to Meath Co. Council, including an address of Sweetman to the council on industrial revival (undated [c. Mar. 1901]). Also, some letters from Thomas Daly (Meath Chronicle) on local matters and a miscellaneous item of correspondence (including a printed circular) relating to James Nulty, a local bacon-curer who sought Sweetman’s patronage in establishing a larger firm; 14 items

MS 47,580 /3 1900-1902 Letters regarding the ‘Agricultural and Technical Instruction

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Committee’ of Meath County Council, including a list of its personnel. Also, a couple of letters relating to the ‘County Meath Agricultural Society Ltd.’; 18 items

MS 47,580 /4 1900 Notices of meetings to be held by the Finance Committee, Agricultural & Technical Instruction County Committee, Proposal Committee and Quarterly Meeting. With Financial Minutes for the quarter ending June 1900 and ‘Report No. 1 of the County Agricultural and Technical Instruction Committee’. Also contains handwritten notes by John Sweetman; 9 items

MS 47,580 /5 1902-1903 A copy of Sweetman’s address to the Kells electorate in seeking re-election to the county council (22 Apr.1902). Also, letters to and from J. Nugent Lentaigne (Lord Chancellor’s Secretary’s Office) and Henry Labouchere [MP] on whether or not Sweetman, as chairman of Meath County Council, was obliged to act as a crown magistrate. Also a cover-letter from J.B. Dougherty (Chief Secretary’s Office) for a decoration celebrating the King’s coronation, with a copy of Sweetman’s reply returning it as an unwanted item (17 Dec. 1902). Also, a letter from and to E.A. Coonan regarding disciplinary action taken against him as a rate collector for Meath County Council. Also, a letter from and to F.M. O’Reilly (Athboy, Co. Meath) regarding Meath County Council’s refusal to pass a resolution in favour of compulsory education ‘as it is at present’; 12 items

MS 47,580 /6 1904-07 Letters regarding farming and Meath County Council, including a copy of a resolution of Sweetman (undated [1905?]) relating to the operations of the local ‘Agricultural and Technical Instruction Committee’. Includes a letter from T.P. Gill [secretary of Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction] to Sweetman (Dec. 1904) and a letter of Gill to [the secretary of Meath County Council] (May 1907); 12 items

VII.vii. Irish County Councils’ General Council, 1899-1906

MS 47,581 /1 1899-1900

Letters to and from Sir Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde (MP and chairman Wexford County Council) and A. Keogh Nolan (secretary of the General Council) regarding the setting up of the ‘Irish County Councils’ General Council’. Includes draft resolutions on promoting Irish manufacturers, two copies of the general council’s constitution, and rules and an agenda for a council meeting (19 Apr.1900), calling

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for the Irish Party to seek an amendment to the rating provisions of the Local Government Act (1898). Also included, some letters of Esmonde to Sweetman (honorary secretary of the General Council) on Wexford collections for evicted tenants, the publishing of a pamphlet on industrial schools (including a note from Fr. T.A. Finlay) and related matters (some letters are undated [Feb. 1900?]). Also, a copy of a resolution of the Irish Financial Reform League (29 Dec.1899) calling on all county councils to press for a resolution of the financial relations question; 32 items

MS 47,581 /2 1901-1904 Documents regarding the Irish County Councils’ General Council (1903-04) with a miscellaneous letter from Redmond Carroll (5 Dec.1901 and a brief note from Esmonde [c. May 1902]. Includes minutes (28 Aug. 1903) and an agenda (20 Oct.1904) for a general council meeting, two letters from William Field MP about reforestation (Oct.1904) and some notes from Keogh-Nolan (secretary) to Sweetman (vice-chairman) regarding a protest over a police tax (Sept.-Nov.1903). Also, two letters of David M. Moriarty; 14 items

MS 47,581 /3 1906-1908 Minutes for meetings of the general council for 19 Apr. and 5 Jul. 1906. A copy of a resolution [Mar. 1906] calling for the general council to support the Gaelic League’s call for compulsory Irish. Also three notes from Keogh-Nolan (Jan.-May 1908), with copies of Sweetman’s replies on reverse, about sending a deputation to London to meet the Prime Minister about the land purchase question; 5 items

VII.viii. The Gaelic League and the Irish-Ireland movement, 1899-1911

MS 47,582 /1 1900-1903

Letters from and to D.P. Moran (editor Leader). The principal subjects are Sweetman’s contributions to the Leader and Moran’s dislike of the United Irishman; 12 items

MS 47,582 /2 1900-1905 Letters from Edward Martyn (playwright and Gaelic Leaguer). Subjects include personal matters and the royal visits, with some references to the Irish Party, the Gaelic League and the National Council. One letter of Martyn (Mar. 1900) has a letter attached from Richard J. ‘Corballis’. Also, a press-cutting of a letter Martyn wrote to the Freeman’s Journal, as well as a copy of one Sweetman letter and two circulars of the Commissioners of Merrion Square, regarding the plans for Queen Victoria’s visit to Dublin (Apr.1900); 12 items

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MS 47,582 /3 1901 Letters regarding the Gaelic League. Includes a letter from George Coffey and a flyer regarding a Féis Ceoil. Also, a letter from S.J. Barrett (treasurer) thanking Sweetman for his donation of £100. Also, a letter of George Moonan (general secretary), announcing Sweetman’s election as a member of the Executive Committee with a copy of Sweetman’s reply, declining the honour due to his inability to attend meetings and his not knowing the language. Also, a copy of Sweetman’s pro-Gaelic League resolution before Meath County Council (undated [c. Jul. 1901]); 13 items

MS 47,582 /4 1902 Letters regarding the Gaelic League. Includes a copy of a letter to ‘P[adraig] O’Daly’ (secretary) and a letter from Seaghan Mac Con Mídhe [John McNamee] of the Keating Branch, forwarding a draft constitution of the league (not included). Also, letters from ‘An Craoibhín’ (Douglas Hyde), Fr. P.J. Farrell (Navan) and a letter from T.W. Rolleston regarding the Tara controversy. In one letter from Hyde (undated), he argues against the league spending on Féis Ceoil, recommends that An Claidheamh Solus be made a limited liability company and suggests that ‘[Patrick] Pearse and probably MacSuibhne [Terence MacSwiney] would be safe editors’; 10 items

MS 47,582 /5 1903 Letters from ‘An Craoibhín’ (Douglas Hyde). Subjects include Hyde’s support for a conference on university education proposed by Shaw-Taylor. Also, ‘Dr. [Fr. Michael] O’Hickey’ (Feb.) and a difficult Ard Fheis (May). In one letter, Hyde complains of league branches paying too big salaries to organisers but argues that An Claidheamh Solus should be kept going and that the paper ‘has immensely improved under Pearse’ (11 Dec.). Also included, a copy of one letter from ‘Seaghan Suiteman’ (John Sweetman) to Hyde on his opposition to the Gaelic League taking part in Shaw-Taylor’s conference on the university question (15 Nov); 6 items

MS 47,582 /6 1903 A copy of Sweetman’s letter to the Freeman’s Journal (24 Apr.) in praise of Edward Martyn’s opposition to the King’s visit. Also, a letter to and from John Redmond regarding the Irish Party’s stance on the visit. Also, letters from and to T.M. Healy about i) the effectiveness of parliamentary agitation and ii) Sweetman’s rejection of Healy’s invitation to stand for South Meath. Also, a letter from the ‘Irish Industrial League’ (Nov.), a copy of a note sent to George Wyndham (undated [1903]) and a 6pp letter of Sweetman, written in response to criticisms [by Horace Plunkett] of his views on Irish history and the general position of agricultural labourers; 11 items

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MS 47,582 /7 1903

Five letters from Maud Gonne MacBride requesting support for the United Irishman and the People’s Protection Committee, with a copy of some replies (May 1903). Also, receipts for Sweetman’s contributions to United Irishman and two copies of a circular (signed by Arthur Griffith) requesting funds to turn the United Irishman into a limited liability company. Also, a letter to Sweetman, offering him a position as a director in the event of this plan succeeding. Also included, a letter from Denis Devereux (manager United Irishman) regarding an earlier contribution by Sweetman (Mar. 1900). Also, a programme for the Celtic Literary Society’s tenth-session (Oct. 1902-Apr.1903), a flyer from the Major [John] MacBride Club’s ‘Presentation Committee’ (undated [1902]) and a letter from J.A. Smyth (Liverpool), requesting that Sweetman act as the speaker for the Emmet centenary in Dublin with a copy of his negative reply written on reverse (Sept.1903); 16 items

MS 47,582 /8 1903 Letters regarding the Gaelic League. Includes a note to Patrick Pearse, with a reply (29 Mar.), regarding the press’ reporting of a public statement by Sweetman on the question of armed rebellion. Also includes a letter from Kuno Meyer (12 Jun.), letters from C.M. Neill (20 Sept.) regarding Meyer’s intentions, and a letter from and to W.P. Ryan on the timing of league meetings. Also, a copy of a letter of Sweetman to P. O’Daly (11 Nov.1903) recommending that an enquiry take place into the financial management of the Claidheamh Solu; 16 items

MS 47,582 /9 1903 Letters and documents regarding the ‘Industrial Committee’ of the Gaelic League. Includes a list of its personnel, minutes for two meetings (30 Mar., 1 Aug.) and a brochure describing the work of league sub-committees. Also, a letter of resignation from George Russell (13 Feb.) and a letter from ‘An Craoibhín’ (Douglas Hyde) suggesting that the industrial committee respond to the government’s idea of an International Exhibition (24 Mar.). Also, notes for two short pieces by Sweetman on industrial development (undated [1903]) and a draft of a Sweetman statement describing the purpose of the Industrial Committee of the Gaelic League; 13 items

MS 47,582 /10 1903 Letters from and copies of letters to Standish O’Grady stemming from Sweetman’s contribution of an article to O’Grady’s All Ireland Review. Includes a proof of Sweetman’s contribution with dissenting comments from O’Grady in the margins. Subjects include the politics of the land

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question, O’Grady’s editorial policy and other publications; 15 items

MS 47,583 /1 1903, 1906 Communications with the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin, namely invitations to attend two society debates (14 Nov. 1903, 17 Dec. 1906) with a copy of replies. Also, a programme for the society’s session of 1906-07; 6 items

MS 47,583 /2 1904 A copy of the constitution of ‘The Irish Brigade’ (Sluagh na hÉireann, a short-lived nationalist federation designed to combine the energies of the GAA and Gaelic League), with some letters from Thomas Markham, its secretary and the editor of The Champion, a short-lived GAA journal. Also included are some press-cuttings (attached to a copy of a constitution of the Irish Brigade) and a draft of a circular by Markham; 9 items

MS 47,583 /3 1904 Letters from Walter Cole, Dublin City alderman and secretary of the National Exhibition Committee, regarding the prospects of holding a national industrial exhibition during 1906. Also, one flyer on the proposed national exhibition and one letter of Cole addressed to ‘Mr. [Charles] Dawson’; 10 items

MS 47,583 /4 1904 Letters from ‘An Craoibhín’ (Douglas Hyde). Subjects include Hyde’s ambition that the league should ‘get complete control of the schools’ in Ireland (14 Jul.) and his appeal to the Catholic hierarchy to rally behind the Gaelic League (Oct.). Also, a letter from Una O’Farrelly about Hyde’s head-cold (2 Dec.); 10 items

MS 47,583 /5 1904 Letters relating to the Gaelic League. Includes a letter from W.P. Ryan [Gaelic League of London] suggesting the formation of a new newspaper (Apr.), with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply. Also, a letter to and from Charles McNeil (Jan.) regarding league committee work. Also, letters to and a letter from Fr. P. Murphy, Enniscorthy Gaelic League, on the university question, the Hungarian policy and a desire to henceforth direct Irish-American funds to the Gaelic League rather than the Irish Party; 9 items

MS 47,583 /6 1904-1905 Letters from Charles Dawson, Dublin City Hall, ex-mayor and ex-MP, regarding the prospects of a national industrial exhibition, with copies of Sweetman replies on the reverse of some of the letters. Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to ‘Mr. [Andrew] Kettle’ on the same theme.

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Also, a miscellaneous item regarding a dinner held in honour of a protestor against the ‘stage Irishman’ (Oct. 1904); 9 items

MS 47,583 /7 1904-1905 Letters from Thomas Martin of the Irish National Society (London), with a copy of a reply from Sweetman. Subjects include the Hungarian Policy, the fortunes of the Irish Party and the National Council; 7 items

MS 47,583 /8 1904-1905 A circular letter of ‘The Anti-Emigration Society’, appealing to the Irish in America to discourage further emigration from Ireland (Mar. 1904). Also, proofs of a 12pp article by Sweetman entitled ‘Hope within Ireland’, submitted to the New Ireland Review (May 1905) and written in response to ‘Nationality within the Empire’ by William Dennehy [editor of Irish Catholic]. Also, a draft of an 8pp article by Sweetman (undated [1905]) on the industrial exhibition controversy and the causes of emigration. Also, letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Lindsey Talbot Crosbie (Ardfert Abbey, Co. Kerry) on the industrial exhibitions, as well as one letter to William Martin Murphy on the same subject (with a brief reply); 10 items

MS 47,583 /9 1904-1905 Copies of two Sweetman letters sent to Patrick Pearse, criticising him, with an apologetic letter in reply (Nov.1904-Jan. 1905). Also, a 2pp. draft of a Sweetman letter on the Gaelic League, including criticisms of the editor of An Claidheamh Solus [Patrick Pearse] for lack of prudence in his writings; 4 items

MS 47,583 /10 1905 Letters from Albert E. Wood (secretary of the Irish Reform Association) forwarding literature of the association (included) and requesting support, with copies of Sweetman’s replies, declining the invitation owing to the association’s unionist politics. Also, a draft of a Sweetman letter (marked ‘never sent’) accusing a newspaper that was owned by the family of the late James McCann MP [the Peasant] of libelling him (undated [1905]); 10 items

MS 47,584 /1 1905-1906 Letters about Gaelic League business. Includes a letter of Diarmuid Ó Riain (secretary) regarding the National Education Board’s withdrawal of support for the Gaelic League (16 Dec.1905). Also, a letter of ‘An Craoibhín’ (Douglas Hyde) from Chicago about his fund raising efforts (12 Jan. 1906). Also, a copy of a personal note sent to Fr. Dineen, suggesting that he should not be argumentative with ‘Dr. [Fr. Michael] O’Hickey’, and two press-cuttings (undated [1905-06]); 8 items

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MS 47,584 /2 [1905-1906] Drafts of Sweetman lectures, or letters, on the Irish-Ireland ideal and general Gaelic League business. Includes two drafts of a lengthy address (undated). Subjects include the National Education Board’s withdrawal of support from the Gaelic League and the government’s launch of an International Exhibition, allegedly to undermine the buy-Irish campaign; 6 items

MS 47,584 /3 1906-1908 Letters relating to the Gaelic League. Includes Sweetman letters to J.J. Horgan, W.P. Ryan, P. O’Daly and Douglas Hyde, mostly on the importance of the league not offending Catholic opinion. Also, a note to Alderman Cole regarding the impossibility of funding a National Exhibition (Feb. 1906). Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to Dr. Mannix (president of Maynooth College) offering a personal apology for the ‘childish impertinence’ of the editor of An Claidheamh Solus [Patrick Pearse] in having made a personal comment about him, and noting that he had requested all other Gaelic League leaders to make a similar apology (29 Dec. 1907). Also included, a letter regarding Sweetman’s refusal to contribute to a testimonial to Douglas Hyde (25 Mar. 1908); 14 items

MS 47,584 /4 1909 Letters regarding the National University and compulsory Irish controversy. Includes four letters from Fr. [Dr.] Michael O’Hickey. Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter requesting that O’Hickey stand down in his opposition to the bishops to prevent a division of opinion emerging between the Catholic laity and clergy. Also, a letter to and from Eoin MacNeill on the controversy. Also, a copy of a Sweetman protest letter sent to the Gaelic League executive, suggesting that it would be better for the league to have no official organ at all than to continue to allow its editor Patrick Pearse to publish articles with an ‘insulting tone towards the Catholic bishops’; 13 items

MS 47,584 /5 1911 A letter from Patrick Pearse, requesting financial assistance for St. Enda’s College, 28 Jan. 1911; 1p.

VII.ix. The Sinn Féin movement, 1904-1916

MS 47,585 /1 1904

Letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Arthur Griffith (editor United Irishman), including an undated draft of a letter. Subjects include the financing of the United Irishman, Sweetman’s contributions to the paper and Thomas Martin’s ‘Irish National Society’. Also, the

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cost of publication of, as well as the public reaction to, Griffith’s Resurrection of Hungary. Includes one printed circular (signed J.D. Digges, secretary) for a meeting of the United Irishman shareholders. Also, a letter of P.D. O’Hart, Irish National Society of London; 14 items

MS 47,585 /2 1904 A letter from and copy of a letter to Thomas P. O’Nowlan M.A., the United Irishman contributor on reforestation. Also, a letter from and copy of a letter to Fr. Farrelly (Navan) and John Shane Taylor (Castle Taylor, Co. Galway), in which Sweetman highly recommends that they read the Resurrection of Hungary; 7 items

MS 47,585 /3 1905 Letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Arthur Griffith (editor United Irishman). Also, a copy of Sweetman’s letter to the United Irishman (29 Mar.) and a receipt for his year’s subscription to the paper. Subjects include the general political situation, the paper’s finances and growing opposition to the Irish Party among county councillors. Includes a complete list of the paper’s shareholders (219 names) written in Griffith’s hand. Also included are three flyers of National Council, including a reprint of its constitution and descriptions of its aims; 11 items

MS 47,585 /4 1905 Letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Alderman W.L. Cole (secretary National Council). Subjects include a proposed conference with Thomas Martin (Feb.) and the political opinions of Dr. Daniel Mannix (president of Maynooth College). Also, planning a convention and new rules for the ‘National Council’ to help put the organisation on a permanent basis (Oct.-Nov.). Also included are four printed flyers of the National Council and a letter of Dr. Mannix to Sweetman in which he praises Griffith’s address of 28 Nov. and expresses the hope that it will soon be published as a pamphlet (10 Dec.); 15 items

MS 47,585 /5 1906 A copy of Griffith’s pamphlet The Sinn Féin policy (1906), which includes his address of 28 Nov. 1905. Also, various letters regarding the National Council. Includes invitations to Sweetman to speak at demonstrations organised by National Council branches in Co. Cavan and Co. Kerry (with letters declining the invitations). Also, a letter to and from Alderman W.L. Cole in favour of non-interference by the National Council in any matters relating to denominational education. Also included, a receipt for Sweetman’s purchase of fifty debentures in Sinn Féin (25 Apr.) and an invitation to Sweetman from the Wolfe Tone and United Irishmen Memorial Committee to address the annual

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Emmet commemoration, with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply written on reverse; 11 items

MS 47,585 /6 [1906] Drafts of a lecture or article by Sweetman (undated [1906]). It deals with the language movement, emigration and Catholic opposition to governmental schools. Also, some notes on the Sinn Féin policy. Also, a miscellaneous letter from Martin’s Bank (London) regarding Sweetman’s decision to close his bank accounts in Britain and resign from the Reform Club, of which he had been a member since 1891; 6 items

MS 47,585 /7 1906-1909 Sweetman pamphlets written for the National Council/Sinn Féin, namely The purchase of the railways (1906), Nationality (1907) and Liberty (1909). Also, MS proofs for ‘The union of all Ireland’ (7pp article submitted to the New Ireland Review, 1909) and ‘Liberty’ (5pp article submitted to New Ireland Review [1909]). A paper on the theme of ‘Liberty’ (undated [1909]), partly inspired by an article of John [Eoin] MacNeill. Also, Sweetman’s membership card for the Kells branch of the National Council (dated 1 Jan.1906) and an undated Sweetman letter sent to the New Ireland Review, responding to a criticism by Fr. L.M. Keating; 8 items

MS 47,585 /8 1907 Fifty debentures of five-pounds each in the ‘Sinn Féin Printing and Publishing Company Ltd.’, signed by Arthur Griffith and Henry Dixon (directors) and Daniel MacCarthy (secretary), and issued to John Sweetman on 28 Mar. 1907; 50 items

MS 47,585 /9 1907 Letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Arthur Griffith. Subjects include problems in defining the platform of the National Council/Sinn Féin. Also included are letters (forwarded by Griffith) of Fr. Coakley OSA (Dungarvan) to both Griffith and Sweetman on the possibilities of Sinn Féin contesting seats, with a copy of a Sweetman reply to Fr. Coakley. Also included are two balance sheets of the ‘Sinn Féin Printing and Publishing Company Limited’; 11 items

MS 47,585 /10 1907 Letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Laurence Ginnell MP. The principal subject is Ginnell’s idea of holding public demonstrations, with Sinn Féin’s support, calling for the government to revise the financial terms of the 1903 land-purchase act; 10 items

MS 47,586 /1 1907

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General political correspondence. Includes a letter from Edward Martyn (on Sinn Féin’s prospects), Thomas Grattan Esmonde, W.L. Cole and Alfred Webb. Also, a copy of a letter sent to Esmonde and a letter sent to Francis Cruise O’Brien in which Sweetman defends Sinn Féin. Also, copies of Sweetman letters sent to the Freeman’s Journal (in defence of a proposed boycott of English goods) and the Leader (in defence of anti-enlistment campaigns). Also, an anonymous letter sent to Sweetman in which it was claimed that Sinn Féin’s policy was ‘suicidal’; 13 items

MS 47,586 /2 [1907] Two lectures by Sweetman on the Sinn Féin policy, including one lecture (in MS and TS) specifically on its relevance to the operations of the General Council of County Councils (undated [1907]); 3 items

MS 47,586 /3 [1907-08] Drafts of Sweetman statements on the Sinn Féin policy (undated [1907-08]). Subjects include the broadness of its platform and the inadvisability of it merging with another association. Includes a draft of a Sweetman letter on the theme of Dublin municipal politics. Also, a National Council membership card; 8 items

MS 47,586 /4 1908 Letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Arthur Griffith. Subjects include the university question and differing opinions on denominational education. Also, a lengthy letter from C.J. Dolan, ex-Sinn Féin candidate in Leitrim, requesting Sweetman’s financial support to help him establish a boot factory (14 Aug.1908). Also, a letter of R.E. Carson C.E. (crown solicitor) offering to fund the National Council/Sinn Féin, with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply on the reverse (14 Apr. 1908). Also included, a letter of Fr. P.F. Kavanagh, author and old National Council activist, calling for Sinn Féin and the Irish Party to cooperate (22 Jun. 1908); 7 items

MS 47,586 /5 [1908] An undated lecture by Sweetman (MS and TS) on Sinn Féin, emphasising its willingness to cooperate with the Irish Party. Also, a draft of three letters (two incomplete) on the Sinn Féin policy, including one addressed to ‘M.S. Mac Angal Gar’ on ‘the fight for the resurrection of Ireland’; 5 items

MS 47,586 /6 [1908] A draft of a lecture by Sweetman entitled ‘Retrospective: men and movements I have known’; 52pp.

MS 47,586 /7 1908-1909

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A letter (21 Mar. 1908) from Horace Plunkett and a letter from George Russell (‘Tuesday [ ] 1909’), forwarding copies of the Irish Homestead, the organ of Horace Plunkett’s farmers’ movement, ‘in which you will find nothing anticlerical’ (copies not included); 2 items

MS 47,586 /8 1908-1912 Abusive, anonymous letters sent to Sweetman. Includes a death-threat sent by an Irish Party supporter, an accusation that he is secretly paid by the British government, an accusation of bigotry, and a letter, sent from Belfast, accusing Sweetman of being a ‘dictator and censor’. Also, two miscellaneous letters from ‘F. Moore’ (London architect) warning Sweetman of the great dangers posed to Britain by German flying machines; 10 items

MS 47,586 /9 1909 A copy of Sweetman letters to Dr. Andrew Boylan (Bishop of Kilmore) and Cardinal Michael Logue (Archbishop of Armagh) regarding Bishop Boylan’s warning that a public meeting in Cavan held partly under Sinn Féin auspices would be used to swear people into secret societies. Includes a reply from each, as well as five newspaper-cuttings regarding the event; 12 items

MS 47,586 /10 1909 Two hundred debentures for £1 each in the ‘Sinn Féin Printing and Publishing Company Ltd.’, signed by John O’Mahony and Thomas Kelly (directors) and Seaghan [T.] O’Ceallaigh (secretary), and issued to John Sweetman (president of Sinn Féin) on 25 Oct. 1909; 200 items

MS 47,587 /1 1909-1910 Letters from and copies of Sweetman letters to Arthur Griffith. Includes a letter from Fr. Stuart (P.P., Roscrea), with a newspaper-clipping, calling on Sweetman to order Griffith not to publish any more articles with an anti-religious bias. Also, a copy of Sweetman’s letter to Griffith to that effect. Also, a letter of Sean T. O’Ceallaigh to Sweetman regarding a meeting of directors that was held to save the daily edition of the Sinn Féin (Dec.1909). Also, a later report by Griffith on the costs involved (with a copy of Sweetman’s negative response written on the reverse). Also, a copy of a testimonial to Arthur Griffith (28 Nov. 1910), with a note and receipt regarding Sweetman’s contribution to it, and an attached press-clipping providing notification of Griffith’s marriage. Also, two covering envelopes; 12 items

MS 47,587 /2 1909-1910 Letters and documents regarding the case of Edward Cronin who left £200 to Sinn Féin in his will. Includes a report of a court case over Cronin’s will, ‘Patrick Lynch and Thomas J. Clarke vs. Philip Sheahan’

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(at the High Court of Justice in Ireland, Chancery Division, 14 Jan. 1910); 6 items

MS 47,587 /3 1910 General political correspondence. Includes a letter from and a copy of two letters to Canon Sheehan on the political situation. Also, letters from W.L. Cole on Sinn Féin business, a letter regarding the AOH (May) and a letter from D.P. Moran on a contribution to the Leader. Also, a copy of a letter sent to the secretaries of the Dublin Industrial Development Association (IDA), protesting against its decision to work with Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair; 14 items

MS 47,587 /4 [1910] An incomplete address by Sweetman dealing with the differences between the Irish Party and Sinn Féin (undated [1910]). Also, a draft of Sweetman’s article ‘Democracy: an appeal to the clergy’ about the need the Irish laity possessed for guidance by the Church in political matters; 2 items

MS 47,587 /5 1911 A proposed address of the executive of the National Council to President Taft of the United States, discouraging American acceptance of Irish emigrants. This address was forwarded to Sweetman by ‘S.P. O’Dubtaigh’ (J.P. Duffy, secretary of Sinn Féin). Also, a note of Sweetman written in reply, declining to sign the address (May). Also, two letters from Sean MacDiarmada and Ua Rathaille (secretaries of the ‘United National Societies Committee’) on a planned protest meeting, with a copy of Sweetman’s letter declining to attend, deeming the meeting inopportune (May). Also, a letter from Edward Martyn (Jan.); 6 items

MS 47,587 /6 1911 Copies of Sweetman letters to the secretaries of the National Council of Sinn Féin and to Arthur Griffith, announcing his intention not to stand for re-election as president. Includes a letter from Griffith on the birth of his son and expressing regret at Sweetman’s decision not to stand for president. Also, a letter from Alderman Thomas Kelly appealing for funds for Sinn Féin with a negative reply from Sweetman. Also, an anonymous letter sent to Sweetman, offering political advice; 9 items

MS 47,587 /7 1912 A copy of a Sweetman letter to Arthur Griffith, arguing that the proposed home rule bill should not be opposed by Sinn Féin (12 Apr.). Also, a letter from Griffith (18 May) on the home rule bill, arguing that its terms were bad. Also, a letter to and from Sir Bertram Windle,

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president University College Cork, on the latter’s resignation from the Irish Industrial Development Association and other matters (June). Also, a letter from and to Fr. Meehan (Kells) on women’s rights (Jan.), a letter from and to Sir James Talbot Power on animal’s rights (Jul.) and a letter from Edward Martyn. Also, a letter from W.H. Brayden (editor Freeman’s Journal) denying that his paper had censored Sweetman’s letters (30 Sept.); 10 items

MS 47,587 /8 1913 A letter from D.P. Moran, with a copy of Sweetman’s reply, as well as a letter from Edward Martyn, regarding Catholic schooling and the controversy involving Mount St. Benedict’s (Gorey). Also, a copy of a letter sent to the Times (London) by ‘A Conservative Irish Nationalist’ [John Sweetman] arguing that the House of Lords should pass the home rule bill [the letter was not published]. Also, a copy of a hostile Sweetman letter sent to Augustine Birrell (Chief Secretary), and a copy of a letter Sweetman sent to the Freeman’s Journal about Kuno Meyer. Also two postcards from G.F. Chambers (London) and two notes by Sweetman on John Redmond’s attitude towards British-Irish financial relations (undated [1913]); 10 items

MS 47,587 /9 1913 A letter to and from F.P. Griffith (Dublin) regarding the controversy surrounding Hugh Lane and a proposed art gallery in Dublin (Apr.). Also, two letters relating to the G.A.A. in Co. Meath; 4 items

MS 47,587 /10 1913 Political correspondence. Includes a copy of a letter reflecting on the failure of the industrial movement (2 Aug.) and a letter from P.J. McIntyre (editor of The Toiler) about James Larkin (17 Sept.). Also, a copy of a letter to Arthur Griffith, requesting the names of people who might assist him in setting up a committee to help to house the Dublin working class, with a reply from Griffith (11 Nov.). Also, letters to W.M. Murphy and Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl Iveagh on a similar theme, with replies. Also, a letter to and from Eoin MacNeill (27 Nov.) on the formation of the Irish Volunteers, a letter from Edward Martyn on the same theme, and letters from three of the individuals that Griffith recommended on the housing question, i.e. John Murphy, James Walker and David Fagan; 15 items

MS 47,588 /1 1914 Letters regarding an appeal to Sweetman by the Dublin Vigilance Committee to help them stop Eason and Son Ltd. selling ‘objectionable literature’ at train stations on the Great Southern and Western Railway line; 6 items

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MS 47,588 /2 1914 A copy of a letter to A.W. Samuels, unionist K.C. in Dublin, and to John Redmond on the Orange Order and the question of partition, with replies from each. Also, a miscellaneous letter from and to the Kells branch of the Irish National Foresters: 6 items

MS 47,588 /3 1914 A letter from Standish O’Grady and from William Johnston (Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow) expressing concern, from a Protestant perspective, about the religious composition of any prospective Irish parliament, with a copy of Sweetman’s replies. Also, a request from Joseph Johnston, fellow of Trinity College Dublin, for Sweetman’s support for a ‘proposed declaration on the Ulster Crisis’ (copy included) that he drafted with other Trinity College academics. It suggests alterations in the home rule bill as a means of avoiding partition. Also, a copy of Sweetman’s reply; 9 items

MS 47,588 /4 1914 A letter from ‘Const. de Neubourg’ (Belgian soldier and priest) regarding the course of the war at the front (12 Nov.). Also, a letter to and from W.M. Murphy regarding the ideal location for a Catholic Cathedral in Dublin. Also, one miscellaneous letter from Edward Martyn; 4 items

MS 47,588 /5 1914-1915 Letters regarding the Irish Volunteers. Includes an appeal for funds from Eoin MacNeill (15 May). Also, copies of Sweetman letters to MacNeill, calling for more effective leadership (Sept.-Oct.). Also, two letters regarding Sweetman’s initial support for Redmond’s Irish National Volunteers and assumption of its leadership in Kells, Co. Meath (Jun.), and three letters about his later withdrawal of support for Redmond (Sep.-Oct.), including a copy of his letter to the Irish Independent. Also, a letter to and from Arthur Griffith (Oct.) regarding the latter’s support for the Irish Neutrality League, and letter(s) to and from M.J. Judge (Dec.1914-Jan.1915) regarding the latter’s decision to resign from the volunteer movement; 14 items

MS 47,588 /6 1915 Letters from, and copy of Sweetman’s letters to, Sean Doyle (secretary of the ‘Sinn Féin Building Fund’) regarding the feasibility of establishing a theatre for Sinn Féin lectures. Jan. 1915; 6 items

MS 47,588 /7 1915 Letters regarding contemporary journals or reviews. Includes letters to and from Denis Gwynn (editor New Ireland) and J.C. Meredith, as well as a note from the editor of the Irish Independent, all regarding

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Sweetman submissions. Also, an appeal for funding from Edward Dalton (editor The Spark). Also, letters from [Professor] W.F. Stockley on the quality of contemporary Catholic journals, and a letter from Fr. J.J. Kelly (Dublin) praising a Sweetman letter to the Freeman’s Journal and questioning John Redmond’s orthodoxy as a Catholic; 13 items

MS 47,588 /8 1915 A letter to and letters from Laurence Ginnell (MP Westmeath North) about his raising the question in parliament of why an embargo was placed upon the importation of the [San Francisco] Leader. Also, letters to and from Patrick White (MP North Meath) about his raising the question in parliament of whether or not Meath County Council was within its rights in fining Sweetman for disobeying its ruling regarding the growing of gooseberries; 16 items

MS 47,588 /9 1915 A letter from George Moonan and from Joseph Dolan regarding the organisation of the Gaelic League, with a copy of Sweetman’s reply to Moonan. Also, a letter about Irish language forms of names from ‘J.P. Sherwin’ [a priest in UCD] with attached photographs of himself and of a pre-Reformation religious statue that he found in The Naul, Co. Dublin; 4 items

MS 47,588 /10 1915 Nationalist pamphlets. Includes Why Ireland is Poor, The Spanish War [a reprint of Wolfe Tone] and Dean Swift on the Situation, published by Cumann na mBan (‘national series, nos.1-3’). Also, ‘Tract for the Times’ pamphlets, namely What Emmet Means in 1915, Ascendancy While You Wait, What it Feels Like [to be imprisoned] and Why the Martyrs of Manchester Died, all by ‘A. Newman’ [Herbert Pim]. Also, Shall Ireland Be Divided and Daniel O’Connell and Sinn Féin (parts 1 and 2) by Eoin MacNeill. Also included are a copy of Terence MacSwiney’s commemorative pamphlet Rossa and two copies of Sweetman’s pamphlet Ireland and Conscription (one annotated ‘1915 or early in 1916’). Also, a flyer featuring a reprint of a letter of Bishop ‘Edward Thomas [O’Dwyer]’ of Limerick to the provincial press. Also, a flyer featuring a reprint of an article in The Spark (undated [1915]), denouncing the A.O.H. and the Irish Party for allegedly having associated an anti-clerical French freemason; 15 items

MS 47,588 /11 1915-17 Letters regarding Sweetman’s resignation (Nov. 1916) from, and the selling of his shares in, the Stephens Green Club (Dublin); 9 items

MS 47,588 /12 1916 General political correspondence. Includes a letter to and two letters

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from W.L. Cole (Sinn Féin) on a by-election in Queen’s County (Laois) and other matters. Also, two letters from Darrel Figgis on the proposed formation of an ‘Irish-Ireland League’ (Feb.). Also, a draft of a Sweetman letter criticising an Irish Party attack upon over-taxation protesters (undated [1916?]). Also, TS and MS copies of a Sweetman speech in favour of protecting Irish industries (undated). Also, letters from and a letter to ‘D [igby] Hussey de Burgh’ (of Dromkeen, Co. Limerick) in response to a Sweetman letter to the Independent on farming developments. Also, a letter to and from Stephen O’Mara (Limerick) regarding the prospects of Sweetman’s sons setting up a successful bacon factory; 15 items

VII.x. The 1916 Rising and the reorganisation of Sinn Féin, 1916-18

MS 47,589 /1 1916

Letters on the course of the Dublin rebellion, sent on a daily basis to ‘Agnes’ (Sweetman) by ‘your sister Madeleine’ [Hanly]. Subjects include fleeing city-inhabitants, casualties, bombings, food shortages, martial law and various rumours; 7 items

MS 47,589 /2 1916 Two letters of Agnes Sweetman to John Dillon MP, requesting assistance in the wake of her husband’s arrest (4 May) and imprisonment, with two sympathetic replies from Dillon. Also, a copy of a letter of John Sweetman to Dillon (18 May), written two days after his release, thanking him for the support he had offered. Also, a pass for Mrs. [Agnes] Sweetman and her son (12 May) for travelling between Co. Dublin and England, signed by Major Powerscourt (Assistant Provost Marshal, Dublin). 12-18 May 1916; 6 items

MS 47,589 /3 1916 A letter of Agnes Sweetman to Colonel ‘Frayer’ [Fraser], emphasising her husband’s opposition to militancy (undated [May 1916]). Also, a letter of Agnes Sweetman to ‘C.C. Feldham’ [R.I.C. officer], with an attached reply, requesting advise as to what to do with a revolver in her house. Also, a sympathetic letter to Mrs. Sweetman from Lambert Carson [brother of Edward Carson?], stating that he will contact his brother about Sweetman’s imprisonment, with two letters from Pembroke Wicks (sent on behalf of Sir Edward Carson) providing notification of Sweetman’s release. Also, a copy of a reply by Agnes, expressing thanks to Sir Edward Carson for the interest he took in Sweetman’s case (18 May). Also included is one later letter of Lambert Carson (21 May ‘1919’ [1916]); 7 items

MS 47,589 /4 1916

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Two letters from John Sweetman to his wife, written from Wandsworth Gaol. Also, three letters of Agnes Sweetman to her husband during his imprisonment with one letter in Irish by ‘Agnes’ [Sweetman]. Also, various communications regarding Sweetman’s imprisonment and release, including notes from Maxwell, Weldon and Co. (solicitors) to Mrs. Sweetman, and several telegrams detailing the timing of Sweetman’s release and his subsequent movements until his return home (15-17 May); 29 items

MS 47,589 /5 1916 Letters sent to Agnes Sweetman by either friends or members of the Sweetman family, offering moral support to her during and after the ordeal of her husband’s imprisonment. Also included is a few personal letters to John Sweetman on his release; 35 items

MS 47,589 /6 1916 Letters written in the aftermath of the rising and Sweetman’s release. Includes a letter of T.G.H. Esmonde and Anna O’Higgins [wife of Brian O’Higgins] to Mrs. Sweetman, and three letters of [Fr.] J.B. Keating (Stafford, England) regarding catering to the spiritual needs of the Irish prisoners (including one letter dated ‘2.6.19’ [1916]). Also included is an 8pp letter of Sweetman to Fr. [Martin] Mahony (27 May) describing his experience of being arrested and imprisoned. Also, a letter from (with a copy of a letter to) Colonel Reginald Brooke regarding a claim made about Alderman James J. Kelly being tortured in prison; 9 items

MS 47,589 /7 1916 Letters, as well as some handwritten notes of Sweetman, regarding a failed attempt in the wake of his release from prison to recover possessions taken from him during his arrest. Also, a subsequent attempt to claim compensation for these items. Includes several letters from Maxwell and Weldon (solicitors) and some communications to and from the British authorities; 23 items

MS 47,589 /8 1916 General political correspondence. Includes a letter of Horace Plunkett to ‘[Edward] Martyn’ (11 May), a letter to and from Dr. Michael Davitt regarding Sweetman’s offer of £20 to the Irish National Aid Association, and appeals for financial assistance from Daithi O’Ceallaigh (secretary of the Sinn Féin Bank) and W.L. Cole, with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply on reverse. Also, two letters from D.P. Moran (with a copy of Sweetman’s replies on reverse) on his rivalry with the Irish Independent (Oct.), a letter to George Moonan about the Gaelic League, and a letter to Stephen O’Mara on the bacon industry. Also, a letter to Alec Wilson (Down) and Sir Nugent Everard

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(Navan, Co. Meath) suggesting holding a political conference of influential non-MPs (Aug.), with a copy of Everard’s reply. Also, a letter from and to Dermod O’Brien (Dublin) on the same theme. Also, a copy of a letter to the secretaries of Sinn Féin (Dec.), requesting an update on the party’s position; 15 items

MS 47,589 /9 1916 A letter from Jocelyn O’Hehir (Dublin) requesting support in founding a new newspaper, with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply. Also, letters from M.J. Judge on his formation of the Irish Nation and forwarding a copy of the rules of ‘The Repeal League and Independence Association’ (included). Also, a copy of two letters of Sweetman, including a letter sent to the Irish Nation (26 Jun.), suggesting the formation of an ‘Irish Ireland League’; 8 items

MS 47,589 /10 1916 A letter and copy of a manifesto of the ‘Anti-Partition League’, established by Michael Lynch (Omagh, Co. Tyrone) and others, with a letter from Sweetman promising to assist. Also, a receipt for Sweetman’s subscription; 4 items

MS 47,589 /11 1916 Letters from and copies of letters to Michael Lynch (Omagh, Co. Tyrone), F.J. O’Connor (Omagh, Co. Tyrone) and Louis J. Walsh (Ballycastle, Co. Antrim) regarding their organisation of the ‘Irish Nation League’. Includes a copy of the league’s constitution (Oct.) and their initial ‘appeal to the people of Ireland’ (Aug.). Some letters deal with comparisons between the Irish National League and Sinn Féin, or else the prospects of uniting the two bodies; 15 items

MS 47,589 /12 1916-1917 Letters from and copies of letters to Herbert Pim (editor Irishman) on the decline of the Irish Nation League, the rise of Sinn Féin, the organisation of a peace conference, and other matters. Includes one undated letter from Pim [1916-17?] regarding the publication of pamphlets, and a copy of a Sweetman letter regarding his termination of his subscription to the Irish Nation (Jan.1917). Also, a letter from a Waterford businessman who had contacted Sweetman on Pim’s advice; 18 items

MS 47,589 /13 [1916-1917] A selection of rebel flyers, with some printed and MS ballads. Includes a ballad written in support of DeValera in Co. Clare. Also, the ‘last address of Thomas MacDonagh’ and memorials for Roger Casement and Thomas Ashe; 10 items

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MS 47,589 /14 1917 General political correspondence, including a letter from Col. Maurice Moore (3 Jan.) on the political situation, a note from Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde, some notes from Dr. Michael Davitt on the winding-up of the Anti-Taxation Committee, and a letter from Count G.N. Plunkett inviting Sweetman to an assembly on the Peace Conference (12 Apr.). Also included are letters from and to Padraig de Burca (secretary North Meath Sinn Féin Executive) regarding the election of Sweetman as president of the North Meath Sinn Fein Executive (Sept.) and a letter inviting Sweetman to attend the Sinn Féin convention of 25 Oct. Also included is a speech by Sweetman, dealing mostly with the history of the Sinn Féin idea (undated [30 Sept.1917]). Also, a copy of the Sinn Féin leaflets Farmers! Your turn now, The Small Nations and War on the Cattle Trade; 15 items

MS 47,589 /15 1917 Leaflets reproducing letters sent by P.G. Hamilton Carvill, ex-MP for Newry, to English journals on the Irish question, the Irish Convention and ‘the Catholic Church and Home Rule’. Also, two letters of Carvill to Sweetman. Also, a proof copy of Thoughts for a convention: memorandum on the state of Ireland by A.E. (1917); 7 items

VII.xi. The 1918 General Election and the struggle for Independence

MS 47,590 /1 1917-1918

Letters from and copies of letters to John Dillon MP. Subjects include the possibility of a pan-nationalist conference on Ireland being held before the end of the war, and Dillon’s desire to oppose the election of Arthur Griffith [convict] for East Cavan. Also included, a copy of a Sweetman letter to Arthur Henderson MP (British Labour Party) protesting about Henderson’s claim that all Irish parties supported the government’s Irish Convention, with an acknowledgment sent in reply (Feb.); 7 items

MS 47,590 /2 [1917-18] Drafts of Sweetman speeches on conscription and Sinn Féin. Also, a draft of an article on ‘Irish financial relations with Great Britain’ (undated [1917-18]). Also, two miscellaneous notes; 7 items

MS 47,590 /3 1918 Copies of letters by Sweetman generally on the theme of conscription. Also, cover-notes from newspaper editors noting that were subject to war-time press censorship and unable to print these letters. Also, a letter of Sweetman to Edward Shortt (Chief Secretary) protesting at this censorship (13 May). Also, a letter from T.R. Harrington, editor Irish

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Independent, rejecting one Sweetman letter purely on editorial grounds (29 Nov); 11 items

MS 47,590 /4 1918 Letters from and copies of letters to the ‘Sinn Féin North Wexford Election Committee’ (Enniscorthy) regarding the selection of John Sweetman as the local Sinn Féin candidate (14 Oct.), his declining of this offer and the subsequent selection of Roger Sweetman [first cousin, once removed] for the seat. Also, a letter of Sweetman to John Walter Sweetman (son) suggesting that ‘Sean J. Kelly, secretary of the Gaelic League’ [Sean T. O’Kelly] could be chosen to stand for North Wexford in the event of Kelly not standing for Dublin (24 Oct.). Also included are three fund-collection books, eight different ‘vote for Sweetman’ flyers, and a bundle of receipts for a fund-raising raffle; 32 items

MS 47,590 /5 1918 Communications from the Sinn Féin North Wexford Election Committee and the local Sinn Féin executive (Enniscorthy). Includes notifications that Mr. [Michael] Collins and Fr. [Michael] O’Flanagan will be addressing public meetings at Ferns, Gorey and neighbouring villages; 8 items

MS 47,590 /6 1918 A copy of a letter sent to Dr. Coyne (Bishop of Cloyne), suggesting compromise with Sinn Féin over the question of Fr. Michael O’Flanagan, a priest suspended from his duties for having campaigned for Arthur Griffith, with an acknowledgment in reply (29 Oct.). Also, a copy of a letter sent to the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Laurence O’Neill, arguing that he should try and bring Sinn Féin and the Irish Party together on one platform on the question of national self-determination just as he had recently done on the question of conscription, with an acknowledgement in reply (19 Dec.). Also, a letter from Alfred Rahilly (University College Cork) about Sweetman’s son and a Féis in Millstreet, Co. Cork, that was bombarded by aeroplanes; 5 items

MS 47,590 /7 1918-1919 Letters from and copies of letters to Herbert Pim. Subjects include Pim’s reversion to unionist politics (Jul. 1918), his ill-health and his plans to write his autobiography (Apr. 1919). Also included, a press-cutting of a Pim article in the Evening Telegraph (Belfast) ridiculing Sinn Féin (19 Jul. 1918). Also, a photo of Pim [with his son]; 6 items

MS 47,590 /8

1919-1920 Letters (marked ‘anonymous’) from ‘John Bitterman’, ‘Fairplay’ and others, criticising the tenor of Sweetman’s letters to the press. Includes one threatening letter written on a postcard; 6 items

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MS 47,590 /9

1919-20 Letters from Diarmuid O’Hegarty (cabinet secretary) regarding Sweetman’s acceptance of a place on the Dáil’s provisional ‘Commission of Inquiry into the Natural Resources and Industries of Ireland’ (Jul.). Also, a letter from Darrel Figgis (secretary of the commission) forwarding an agenda and report regarding a meeting of the commission (21 Oct.). Also, five letters from John X. Regan [an Irish-American student for the priesthood?] with a copy of his pamphlet Ireland and Presidents of the United States (Boston, Mass., 1919). Also, a miscellaneous Royal Economic Society annual report and advertisement for its Economic Journal (Aug. 1919), a note from the chief postal censor (Feb.1919), and a letter from F.R. O’Sullivan (Longford shoemaker) in response to a Sweetman letter in the Irish Independent (21 Jul.); 15 items

MS 47,590 /10 1920 A letter from R.M. Sweetman, reflecting on the character of Darrel Figgis and the work of the Commission of Inquiry into the Natural Resources and Industries of Ireland (16 Jun.). Also, a commemorative leaflet, including portrait, in memory of ‘Mary E.L. Butler O’Nolan’, of noted Galway family, former United Irishman contributor, d. Rome 27 Nov. 1920. Also, a miscellaneous note regarding the Freeman’s Journal, and a letter from Thomas Shine, an old ‘constitutional nationalist’ in Co. Offaly; 5 items

MS 47,590 /11

1920 Letters from and copies of letters to B.R. Balfour (Drogheda, Co. Louth), Sir Nugent Everard (Lord Lieutenant of Co. Meath), Sir Henry Bellingham (Lord Lieutenant of Co. Louth), Horace Plunkett (Irish Dominion League) and Henry Harrison (secretary of Peace Committee), chiefly regarding a proposed conference to settle the Irish question in response to a suggestion of Sir Hugh Cecil (Tory MP for Oxford University and cousin of A.J. Balfour). Also, a draft of a 6pp statement by Sweetman, written in response to Cecil’s initiative (undated [1920?]). Also, a fragment of an envelope for a letter sent to Sweetman (letter not included). Printed on the envelope is ‘Prime Minister’ [Lloyd George] and a frank-mark reading ‘London Official, 15 Sp. 20 10’ [15 Sep. 1920? 15 Sep. 1910?]; 15 items

MS 47,590 /12 1920 General political correspondence. Includes letters from M.J. O’Connor (solicitor to Wexford Corporation) about possible settlements of the Irish question, a letter from G.B. Deane (Local Government Inspector) requesting land for ex-soldiers, and a couple of minor requests forwarded by the Irish Transport and General Workers Union. Also, a

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copy of a Sweetman letter sent to the Times on dominion home rule (31 Aug.) and a letter to and from William O’Brien, ex-MP, Mallow, Co. Cork, on general reminiscences (includes both a transcription and the original copy of O’Brien’s letter); 13 items

MS 47,590 /13 1921 General political correspondence, dealing mostly with the unsettled state of the country. Includes an invitation from Henry Harrison to attend a private conference of the Irish Dominion League (31 Jan.). Also, a letter from Lord Edmund Talbot (Lord Lieutenant of Ireland), Sir Nugent Everard, Dr. J.H. Bernard (Provost of Trinity College Dublin) and a letter to and from Lord Dunraven (Lord Lieutenant of Co. Limerick). Also included are a copy of a Sweetman letter to the Irish Times (15 Apr.), a draft of a historical lecture on ‘Germany in 1813’ [written by Sweetman in 1921] and a 6pp statement on dominion status and the current conflict (undated [1921]). Also included, a survey of the British government’s response to the Irish revolution (undated). 22 Jan.-29 Jun. 1921; 22 items

VII.xii. The Irish Free State, 1922-36

MS 47,591 /1 1921-22

Copies of Sweetman letters offering advise to Eamon DeValera (9 Dec. 1921), Arthur Griffith (20 Apr. 1922) and Michael Collins (13 May 1922). Also, a copy of a cover-letter for a subscription of £100 to the ‘national trustees of the treaty fund’ (13 May 1922). Also, a note sent to Fr. Flynn (10 Dec.1921) and a letter from ‘An Irish Unionist who despairs of Ireland’, written in response to a Sweetman letter to the Irish Times (Apr. 1922). Also, a letter from Edward Martyn on the political situation and his fears for his safety (1 Aug. 1922). Also, a letter from Fr. Thomas Gogarty (Drogheda, Co. Louth) arguing that to ensure peace, the Irish Free State, like the British government before it, should recognise the IRA’s right to exist without forcing it to surrender its arms. Includes a copy of Sweetman’s reply; 9 items

MS 47,591 /2 1922 ‘Map showing the Provinces of Ulster with the six North East Counties shaded according to population in favour of the Free State, and in favour of the Belfast Parliament determined by Poor Law Union’; 1 item

MS 47,591 /3 1923 Copy of a Sweetman letter to ‘Dr. McNeil’ [Eoin MacNeill] suggesting the formation of a special police force (Feb.). Also, a letter to Monsignor Luzio (Papal envoy) expressing regret about the role of

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priests in encouraging youths to join the anti-treaty IRA (Apr.). Also, a letter from Maud Gonne MacBride urging Sweetman to help maltreated political prisoners in Mountjoy prison (including their respective sons), with a copy of Sweetman’s negative reply, arguing that if he was in power he would be even more severe in his treatment of ‘anarchists’ and ‘bandits’. Also, two miscellaneous letters; 7 items

MS 47,591 /4

1924 A letter from and copies of letters to Sean T. O’Kelly about his attitude to the Irish Free State (May). Also, a copy of Sweetman letters to Independent Newspapers, as well as a letter from Fr. Maher (Dun Laoghaire), on a proposed British war memorial on Merrion Square. Also, one incomplete letter on the same theme. Also, a copy of a Sweetman article in the Leader (9 Sept.) entitled ‘twenty years of history’; 10 items

MS 47,591 /5

1925 A copy of a letter to W.T. Cosgrave, president Irish Free State, asking him whether or not the government approved of Dublin Corporation’s plan to use Merrion Square park for a British war memorial. Includes an acknowledgement sent in reply and a copy of a letter to the Irish Times on the same theme. Also, a note to and from T.M. Healy, governor-general Irish Free State, about a letter of reference for one of Sweetman’s sons. Also, three letters from James Coleman (MRIA) regarding the Benedictines in Gorey, and the decision of Fr. John F. Sweetman O.S.B. to support De Valera; 7 items

MS 47,591 /6

1926 Draft of Sweetman’s pamphlet ‘Protection’. Also, letters to and from J.J. Walsh [Minister for Posts and Telegraphs] on the economic policy of the government, and Sweetman’s desire that Walsh write a forward for his pamphlet. An article by Sweetman in the Leader entitled ‘England, our best customer?’ [a proof copy, 1926]. Also, two notes by Sweetman about Kevin O’Higgins’ attitude to protectionism (undated [1926]) with one cutting from the Irish Times; 15 items

MS 47,591 /7 1926-1927 Letters on the theme of protectionism. Includes a letter from and to [Rev.] Dudley Fletcher (Rector in Coolbanagher, Co. Laois) on the relative merits of free trade and protectionism. Also, letters from and to J.J. Bergin, ex-parliamentary candidate, on Sweetman’s pamphlet on protection. Also, letters to and from Edward Pakenham, 6th Earl Longford (Jun.-Jul.) and a letter to Senator J.C. Dowdall (Cork) on the possibility of forming a new protectionist party. Also, a copy of a letter to the secretaries of the National Protectionist League, requesting a subscription to the National Advocate; 9 items

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MS 47,591 /8 1927

Letters and press-cuttings regarding the assassination of Kevin O’Higgins, vice-president, Irish Free State, and Fianna Fáil’s entry into the Dáil. Includes an anonymous letter from Crosshaven Co. Cork justifying the assassination of O’Higgins, and a ballad sheet commemorating Matt Grogan. Also, a letter from Fr. Kearney (P.P., Garvagh, Co. Derry) claiming to know of many examples of British intelligence propagating Irish patriotism for ulterior motives. Also, three letters from William Sears (editor The Freeman) and a letter from R.H. Froude on Irish politics (6 Jun.). Also included, a copy of the election leaflet by Eamon DeValera entitled What Fianna Fáil Stands For; 20 items

MS 47,591 /9 1928 Letters regarding Sweetman’s resignation from the central branch of Cumann na nGaedhael (18 Jan.). Also, a letter to and from J.J. Walsh, as well as a letter to ‘Professor [Liam] Burke’, organiser/secretary, Cumann na nGaedhael, regarding the possibility of distributing unsold copies of Sweetman’s pamphlet Protection to Cumann na nGaedhael branches. Also included are some letters from Eason and Son Ltd. regarding many unsold copies of this pamphlet; 17 items

MS 47,591 /10 1928 General political correspondence, including a letter to and two letters from Lord Longford on the press. Also, letters to and from George Duncan (Trinity College Historical Society) on protectionism. Also, a note (18 Dec.) from Capt. H.J. Cannon (Dept. of Defence) about a revolver that Sweetman had surrendered. Also, a note by Sweetman about his recent contributions to the press; 13 items

MS 47,592 /1 1929 General political correspondence. Includes letters to and from Lord Longford on the prospects of forming a new political party. Also, a request from Cumann na nGaedhael to assist in its fund-collection efforts. Also, two letters to and a letter from Major Bryan R. Cooper (TD, National League Party) on protectionism. Also, a copy of an unpublished Sweetman letter to The Star (Cumann na nGaedhael publication, Dublin) on ‘Our Future’. Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter about President Cosgrave’s statements on unemployment (7 May). Also included, a letter of Fr. James Kearney (P.P., Garvagh, Co. Derry) about a secret Irish Vigilance Club he and others established in 1920 to mobilise Catholics against a ‘subtle plot’ of ‘the ultra-nationalist movement’ to undermine ‘faith and fatherland’ in Ireland (23 May); 17 items

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MS 47,592 /2 1929 Letters to and from various businessmen (including some former independent parliamentary candidates) regarding Sweetman and Joseph Milroy’s idea of establishing a new protectionist association, or ‘Tariff Propaganda Committee’. Includes a copy of a letter to Alfred O’Rahilly, professor University College Cork, some letters to and from J.C. Dowdall (senator) and a few undated lists, naming a provisional executive for a ‘tariff propaganda committee’. Also included is a copy of a president’s report for the Dublin Industrial Development Association (D.I.D.A.) suggesting that the association be renamed to reflect its national focus (11 Dec.). Also a letter of Sweetman, declining to join the I.D.A. (31 Dec.) due to its refusal to support a complete boycott of foreign businesses; 58 items

MS 47,592 /3 1929-1930 A copy of a Sweetman letter to W.L. Cole and to Col. Maurice Moore requesting advice on the political situation, with two replies from Cole. Also, two letters from Denis Gwynn requesting biographical information about Edward Martyn (1859-1923), with a copy of one reply; 7 items

MS 47,592 /4 1930 Letters from various individuals, requesting copies of leaflets of the Tariff Propaganda Committee (especially Sweetman’s ‘Protection or Free Trade?’). Also, letters to and from James McGowan, former independent parliamentary candidate for Leitrim-Sligo, on the same theme. Attached to one letter from McGowan (20 Aug.) is a draft for a proposed political programme: 25 items

MS 47,592 /5 1930 Letters from various individuals on the question of protectionism, including a letter from J.J. Bergin, former parliamentary candidate, and a few letters of ‘M. O’Connell’ (Listowel, Co. Kerry); 12 items

MS 47,592 /6 1930-1931 Letters from Edward O’Brien an elderly republican from ‘Moville, Derry’ on protectionism (Jan.-Feb. 1930) and Fianna Fáil (May 1931) with a copy of a reply from Sweetman (20 May 1931), giving a history of his own political views. Also, one miscellaneous letter from ‘E. Pope’, an elderly man in Clonmel, Co. Tipperar; 8 items

MS 47,592 /7 1931 Letters from Cecil Crosby (doctor in Enfield, Co. Meath), with a copy of a couple of Sweetman’s replies. Subjects include the possibility of founding a new political movement in Ireland based upon Pope Pius XI’s principles of distributism; 15 items

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MS 47,592 /8 1931

A copy of a Sweetman letter to The Standard (Dublin) and a letter from Aodh de Blacam (editor of The Standard) apologising that he was forbidden from publishing it (19 Jan.). Also, a letter from John P. Dillon, ex-Dublin and London IRA officer, calling for the establishment of a new Catholic movement for ‘the extermination of freemasonry’ (18 Feb.) with a copy of Sweetman’s dismissive reply; 4 items

MS 47,592 /9 1931 Letters sent to Sweetman in response to his letters to the Leader or Irish Independent on the question of protectionism. Some correspondents are parish priests. Includes a couple of letters to and from Archdeacon Fallon; 19 items

MS 47,592 /10 1931 Letters written in response to a Sweetman letter to the Irish Independent, suggesting the creation a new ‘Centre Party’ in Irish politics that would draw inspiration partly from Arthur Griffith’s ideals. Includes two letters from ‘Liam O Braoin’ [William Breen], with a copy of a ‘Griffith Club’ membership card attached to one (20 Feb.). Also, two letters from Tomas Shine Cuffe, pre-1916 Sinn Féin member, on writing an article in memory of Griffith. Also, a letter from a member of the Irish Land Commission, suggesting the formation of a new farmers’ organisation instead; 20 items

MS 47,592 /11 1931 Circulars and letters sent by J.J. Bergin, former independent parliamentary candidate, regarding meetings to establish a new farmers’ organisation. Includes a copy of a Sweetman response, suggesting instead an independent centre party to forward both farmers’ interests and the cause of protectionism, with a copy of Bergin’s dismissive reply. Also, a circular letter of the ‘Farmers Protection Association’ announcing the expulsion of Patrick Belton, former parliamentary candidate and chairman of the ‘Griffith Club’, from their membership; 9 items

MS 47,592 /12 1932 Letters from Padraig Ua Nuallain [Patrick Nolan] of Sandymount, Co. Dublin on the political situation, the Leader and related matters, with a copy of one reply from Sweetman. Also included, TS copies of two lengthy letters of Sweetman to the Leader on the political situation. Also, a friendly personal note from James Dillon to ‘Mrs. John Sweetman’ (Feb. 1932); 12 items

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MS 47,592 /13 1933 A copy of two letters of Sweetman to W.T. Cosgrave, with a reply (Mar.-Apr. 1933). Subjects include Sweetman’s appeal to Cosgrave not to oppose DeValera in government for the sake of Catholic unity. Also, a Sweetman letter to Cardinal Joseph MacRory, Catholic Primate of All Ireland, suggesting that he request the papal nuncio to make peace between the two principal Irish political parties, with a reply (Oct. 1933). Also, some sheets of notes by Sweetman (undated [1933]) on principles of Christian government. These notes include some criticisms of Fine Gael as British imperialists and expressions of praise for DeValera as a patriotic statesman. Also, a draft of an [unpublished] review article by Sweetman in which he rationalises Cosgrave’s fall from power and praises DeValera’s government on the grounds of its acceptance of the principles of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI [1933]. Also, drafts of a Sweetman [unpublished] review of a Studies article by Professor [Mark] Tierney on the theme of separatism and national unity [1933]; 13 items

MS 47,592 /14 1934-35 Miscellaneous political material, including a letter to and from two elderly figures Patrick Bradley [ex-Celtic Literary Society] and ‘Francis’ [Little]. Also, a copy of a cover-note (for a newspaper cutting, not included) sent to Sean Lemass (government minister), with an acknowledgment sent in reply. Also, a membership card for the Co. Meath Agricultural Society (1935) and a draft of an article by Sweetman entitled a ‘Sketch of Seven Irish Decades’ (undated [1935]); 9 items

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VIII. Irish-American Colonisation Company

The Irish-American Colonisation Company [IACC] was established in 1881, its aim was to assist Irish Catholics to emigrate to Minnesota and help to establish Catholic Colonies there. The company purchased land in Minnesota for the new settlers and assisted in meeting the costs of travelling. John Sweetman was a central motivational force behind the establishment of the company, and acted as company Director. The company was voluntary disbanded by its directors in 1909, although not a complete success it had assisted many Catholic Irish to emigrate in search of a better life in America. The company papers have been split into seven sections by document type; organisational papers, publicity material, requests for information, successful applications, company correspondence, financial material and maps. Within each section the records have been arranged chronologically. John Sweetman’s correspondence with members of the community in Minnesota can be found in section X.i. Minnesota Correspondence. Newspaper cuttings relating to the Irish-American Colonisation Company can be found in section XI.

VIII.i. Organisational Papers MS 47,593 /1 1880-1881

Legal documentation regarding the establishment of the IACC Includes a certificate of registration of the IACC as a limited company with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies (13 Mar. 1881). Also, warranty deeds from the ‘Winona & St. Peter Railway Co.’ and ‘St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad Co.’ to Sweetman regarding the purchase of land. Also, copies of power of attorney granted to Bishop John Ireland and John Sweetman to act for the company (Apr. 1881). Also, legal opinion offered by R.P. Carton Q.C. about the possibility of applying for government aid (Nov. 1881); 11 items

MS 42,082 1881-1909 Minute book of the meetings of the Board of Directors from the establishment of the Company in March 1881 to the final meeting of November 1909. Also includes loose sheets of related notes and drafts; c.300pp

MS 42,083 1881-1893 Rough Minute Book of the meetings of the Board of Directors from March 1881 to January 1893; c.300pp

MS 47,593 /2 [undated, 1881] A leather-bound, pocket-size diary of John Sweetman. Entries relate to IACC appointments or business, also some general notes; c.100pp.

MS 47,593 /3 1885

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A copy of a resolution of the directors of the IACC (annotated ‘proposed by Lattin Thunder, seconded by Colonel Dease and carried’) appointing Sweetman an agent for the IACC, entitled to grant and sell any and all lands owned by the company in the United States. Also, a copy of a power of attorney (20 Aug. 1885) and a copy of a second IACC resolution to this effect; 3 items

MS 47,593 /4 1887-1907 A list of the retiring directors of the IACC for each year from 1887 to 1907; 1p.

MS 47,593 /5 1892 A draft for a land agreement with settlers, and two blank land agreement forms. Also, a copy of an IACC land agreement with Timothy Brodle and Elias Howard respectively (1892); 6 items

MS 47,593 /6 1900-1908 General papers relating to the IACC. Includes a sheet listing names of individuals whom were issued with deeds (1901). Reports of directors’ meetings from 1904-08 (including some reports of meetings involving [Agnes Sweetman]). Also, a copy of a letter to and from Ambrose A. Kelly (Dublin) regarding his becoming a director of the IACC (Mar. 1900), a letter to and from Maxwell and Weldon (solicitors) regarding the death of Lattin Thunder (Mar. 1900), and a letter from Walter Sweetman of Currie, Minn. about IACC business (May 1901); 21 items

MS 47,593 /7 1928, 1984 and undated Historical articles on the IACC and the Sweetman Catholic Colony. Includes an original and photocopied copy of Alice E. Smith, ‘The Sweetman Irish Colony’, Minnesota History (vol.9, no.4, Dec. 1928), pp331-46, as well as a print-out of an extract of this same article (as featured on ‘rootsweb.com’). Two copies of ‘The Connemara and Sweetman Colonies’ in Patricia Condon Johnston, Minnesota’s Irish (1984). A 3pp article giving a history of ‘the Immaculate of Mary Parish’, featuring a photo of John Sweetman. Also, a photograph of an unknown lake [at Currie] by Charles Tenney of Winona, Minn, and a photograph taken in snowy weather of three unknown individuals in Minnesota, including one priest; 8 items

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VIII.ii. Publicity Material

MS 47,594 /1 1880-1881 Booklets relating to Minnesota or Catholic colonisation:

• Minnesota: her agricultural resources, commercial advantages and manufacturing capabilities (published by the State Board of Immigration, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1880)

• Catholic Colonisation in Minnesota (published by the Catholic Colonisation Bureau, St. Paul, Minnesota, Dec. 1880, reprinted M.H. Gill and Son, Dublin, 1881)

• A booklet of the ‘Irish Catholic Colonisation Association’ (detailing the first colony sent from Boston, Massachusetts, to Adrian, Minnesota, Mar. 1880)

• Rev. J.W. Spalding (bishop of Peoria, Illinois), The position of Catholics in the United States (Dublin, 1881)

• A copy of Revue Genérale (Brussels, Dec, 1881) containing an article by ‘Ch. Verbrugghen’ [Belgian member of parliament] on ‘La Colonisation Catholique aux États-Unis’ (pp.842-69).

5 items

MS 47,594 /2 1880-1881 Literature relating to the IACC, includes a general pamphlet entitled Irish colonisation in America (Gill and Son, Dublin, 1880) and two copies of a pamphlet (one annotated) by Sweetman describing the aims of the IACC. A provisional and final prospectus for the company, as well as a memorandum of association. A copy of the Irish and American editions of the pamphlet Farms for Sale in Minnesota by the Irish-American Colonisation Company (Ltd.) (1881). Also included, a leaflet reprinting Sweetman’s letter to The Tablet (18 Oct. 1881) describing the difficulties that emigrants are likely to face; 9 items

MS 47,594 /3 1880-1883 Letters from various newspapers or journals in Britain and Ireland (local, national and specialist), listing the cost for placing an advertisement for the IACC. Also included are five copies of a draft (in Sweetman’s hand) of a cover-letter (Apr. 1881), and some letters from M.H. Gill and Son regarding the cost of publishing pamphlets; 80 items

MS 47,594 /4 1881-1883 Receipts from various newspapers or journals in Britain and Ireland (local, national and specialist) for the cost of placing an advertisement for the IACC in their columns. Also, some receipts from M.H. Gill and Son regarding the cost of publishing pamphlets; 118 items

MS 47,594 /5 1881-1889 Prospectuses for some agricultural and colonisation companies based in

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London, namely ‘The Anglo-American Agricultural Company’, ‘The Manitoba Land Company Ltd.’ and the ‘National Association for Promoting State Colonisation’. Includes shareholders reports, as well as a share certificate dividend, from the Manitoba Land Company. A pamphlet by the William Brabazon, 11th Earl of Meath (president of the ‘National Association for Promoting State Colonisation’) entitled State Colonisation (London, 1888). Also, a miscellaneous photograph of an unnamed individual; 19 items

MS 47,594 /6 1882 A copy of a pamphlet entitled Farms for Sale in the Sweetman Catholic Colony of Murray County, Minnesota, by the Irish-American Colonisation Co. (Ltd.) (St. Paul, 1882). Also, two different advertising brochures including one that folds out into a large colour-coded map, showing lands yet to be sold; 3 items

MS 47,594 /7 1883-1885 A copy of Sweetman’s pamphlet (16pp) Recent experiences in the emigration of Irish families (Dublin, 1883). A 4pp leaflet reprinting a letter of Bishop John Ireland (St. Paul) to the American press on the ‘Sweetman Colony in Minnesota’ [1883]. A pamphlet on the Sweetman Catholic Colony (Currie, Minnesota, 1885), featuring reprints of letters written to the American Catholic press by Fr. Martin Mahoney (parish priest of Currie) and John Sweetman, as well as an image of the recently established church in the parish; 3 items

VIII.iii. Requests for information and unsuccessful applications

MS 47,595 /1 1880-1884

Forty-seven letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, seven unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme. Surname: A-B; 54 items

MS 47,595 /2 1880-1884 Eighty-eight letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, five unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme and two miscellaneous application forms [unprocessed]. Includes a letter [1881] from ‘Michael Collins, Lislee, Courtmacsharry, Co. Cork’ [possibly father of Michael Collins (1890-1922)]. Surname: C-E; 95 items

MS 47,595 /3 1880-1884 Eighty-seven letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, thirteen unsuccessful applications

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(marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme. Surname: F-H; 100 items

MS 47,595 /4 1881-1884 Fifty letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, fourteen unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme. Surname: K-L; 64 items

MS 47,595 /5 1881-1884 Eighty-one letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, fourteen unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme. Surname: M; 95 items

MS 47,595 /6 1881-1884 Thirty-seven letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, three unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme. Surname: N-O; 40 items

MS 47,595 /7 1881-1884 Fifty-one letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, six unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme and three miscellaneous application forms [unprocessed]. Surname: P-R; 60 items

MS 47,595 /8 1881-1884 Forty-two letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, three unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’). Surname: S; 45 items

MS 47,595 /9 1881-1884 Forty letters from the general public requesting information about the colonisation scheme. Also, six unsuccessful applications (marked ‘rejected’) to become a tenant under the scheme. Surnames: T-Y; 46 items

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VIII.iv. Successful applications

MS 47,596 /1 1880-1881 Applications for admission to the emigration scheme marked ‘accepted’ with, in some cases, original letters of the applicants attached to the forms. Surnames B-D; 17 items

MS 47,596 /2 1881 Applications for admission to the emigration scheme marked ‘accepted’ with, in some cases, original letters of the applicants attached to the forms. Surnames: F-H; 11 items

MS 47,596 /3 1881-1882 Applications for admission to the emigration scheme marked ‘accepted’ with, in some cases, original letters of the applicants attached to the forms. Surnames: K-L; 12 items

MS 47,596 /4 1881-1882 Applications for admission to the emigration scheme marked ‘accepted’ with, in some cases, original letters of the applicants attached to the forms. Surnames: M-O; 16 items

MS 47,596 /5 1881-1882 Applications for admission to the emigration scheme marked ‘accepted’ with, in some cases, original letters of the applicants attached to the forms. Surnames: P-W; 10 items

MS 47,596 /6 1881-1883 Letters from steamship companies (principally Allan Line of Liverpool) about making arrangements for the transportation of sixty families across the Atlantic (1881). Includes a poster advertising weekly sailings from Glasgow and Belfast to New York. Two memorandum cards from Allan Line providing notification of the safe arrival of passenger ships in America (28 Mar., 4 Apr.1881). Letters from steamship companies (principally ‘White Star Line’) about making arrangements for the transportation of fifteen families across the Atlantic (Mar. 1882). Also included, a cabin passenger list for a sailing between New York and Liverpool (Jan.1883) and a miscellaneous cabin passenger lists for a sailing to Quebec (28 Apr.1881) and an earlier sailing from New York to Liverpool; 52 items

MS 47,596 /7 1881-1884 Letters making arrangements for the transportation of individuals or families, principally from railway companies within the United Kingdom or United States. Includes a couple of lists of settlers who sailed for Minnesota during 1882, and some undated memos listing the

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names of [shipping and publicity] agents. Also included, miscellaneous cabin passenger lists for sailings between New York and Liverpool (Jul and Oct. 1884); 28 items

MS 47,596 /8 1889-1895 Cabin passenger lists for various trans-Atlantic sailings [performed by Sweetman], as well as two layout plans for ‘Cunard Line’ steamships (with ticket-prices attached); 10 items

MS 47,596 /9 Undated Notebook containing names of those sailing for America [with the IACC], with details of age, occupation, present wage, how much the passage cost, who paid for the passage and any additional supplies given, with index at back of volume; c.200 pp

VIII.v. Company Correspondence

MS 47,597 /1 1880

A diary entitled ‘A short summer trip to Minnesota, 1880’, written by Sweetman (returned to him in 1905 by the Rectress of the Sisters of Mercy in Stanhope St., Dublin: cover-letters included). Letters of James Rochford (London), offering opinions on the scheme; a letter of The O’Conor Don, declining to support the scheme (23 Jul. 1880), and a letter of William Shaw MP and Professor Baldwin (member with Shaw of a New York Herald committee to examine Irish affairs) announcing their inability to travel to America; 10 items

MS 47,597 /2 1880-1881, undated Letters and telegrams from Dillon O’Brien (St. Paul) on finalising arrangements [for transportation or the purchase of land]. Includes a letter of ‘C Dooley’ of the ‘New York Catholic Protectory’, forwarded by O’Brien (attached to 9 Apr.). Also, some handwritten notes of Sweetman and a miscellaneous note from ‘Young & Newel’ (solicitors) of St. Paul; 13 items

MS 47,597 /3 1880-1881 Two letters from Thomas Spring Rice, 2nd Baron Monteagle, including one expressing an interest in become a director in Sweetman’s company. Also, two letters from Horace Plunkett of Dunsany Castle (Navan, Co. Meath) on the same theme. Also, several letters from Plunkett regarding tenants he encouraged to apply to Sweetman’s emigration scheme; 11 items

MS 47,597 /4 1880-82 Letters from J.H. Tuke (English Quaker, philanthropist and author of Irish distress and its remedies, 1880) enquiring as to the progress of the

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IACC; 12 items

MS 47,598 /1 1880, 1883 Letters from Edmund Dease (a director of the IACC) of Ballybrittas, Queens County (Laois), and a brief note from G.R. Dease (of Celbridge, Co. Kildare, a director of the IACC), sent from ‘The Castle, Dublin’, regretting his inability to attend a meeting; 5 items

MS 47,598 /2 1880-1884 Letters and telegrams from John Ireland [coadjutor bishop of St. Paul, Minnesota, and a director of the IACC] on the organisation of the scheme. Included is a letter of introduction (23 May 1883) for Fr. Martin Mahony (the new parish priest for Currie, Minnesota, a native of Kerry and a former curate in Liverpool) and a press-cutting of Bishop Ireland’s speech before an annual convention of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union of America (2 Aug. 1882). Also, a series of telegrams to Bishop Ireland, informing him when families had sailed, and a letter of Sweetman to ‘My Lord Bishop’, written from Kells, Co. Meath, expressing his willingness to fund the re-housing in Minnesota of Benedictines expelled from France (9 Feb. 1881). And a miscellaneous letter (28 Feb. 1882) from Fr. J.P. Bodfish C.S.P. (secretary of the archdiocese of Boston) and a letter (18 Jun. 1883) of a Sr. Sweetman (Convent of Mercy, Greenbush, New York); 26 items

MS 47,598 /3 1880-1884 Letters from John P. O’Connor (superintendent of the IACC in America) providing news of the finances of the company and the development of the colony. Also, a letter of Robert Taaffe (4 Apr. 1882), written at O’Connor’s request, a copy of a map of Murray Co. showing the location of the I.A.C.C. lands (1882), and a miscellaneous paper annotated to indicate that O’Connor had become general manager of the North Western Chronicle (undated [mid-1880s]); 21 items

MS 47,598 /4 1880-1884 Letters from John D. O’Brien (attorney, St. Paul). Subjects include titles to, and the transfer of, land, the creation of a corporate seal and other legal matters. Also included, a letter from a farmer and friend of O’Brien who was offering to sell land (17 Jan. 1881); 14 items

MS 47,598 /5 1880-1886 General correspondence relating to the IACC, includes two letters (in French) from the Archbishop of St. Boniface (Canada), a letter from Edmund Sweetman and Hugh O’Callaghan, a letter from Viscount Monck (Bray, Co. Wicklow) and a letter of Neil Currie (Currie, Minn.). Also, some letters of W.J. O’Nahan (president of St. Patrick’s Society and City Collector for Chicago), a letter from a Colonel Oldfield

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(regarding a journal article by J.H. Tuke) and letters from Robert Taaffe; 22 items

MS 42,084 1881-1882 Letter book of the I.A.C.C. from January 1881 to February 1882, containing copy letters written on company business by John Sweetman and Charles Blackney (IACC Secretary), with index of correspondents at front; 500pp

MS 47,598 /6 1881 A letter from Adam Hamilton O.S.B. (St. Benedict’s, Leopardstown, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin) to ‘Mr. Kelly’ on the limited resources of the Benedictine Order and the impossibility of it becoming involved in the Minnesota colonisation scheme. 31 Mar. 1881; 2pp.

MS 47,598 /7 1881 Cover-notes for documents sent, or letters offering advise, by ‘Maxwell and Weldon’ solicitors in Dublin (Mar.-Jul.). Also, drafts or notes in Sweetman hands for various company contracts, including one marked ‘rough sketch of letter to Dr. Ireland about requirements with settlers’. Also, a miscellaneous receipt for payment of rent for the IACC office in South Frederick Street, Dublin; 11 items

MS 47,598 /8 1881 Letters from R.H. Froude (a company director) of Kensington, London. Subjects include his acceptance of an I.A.C.C. directorship, the company’s prospectus and the possibility of finding shareholders in England. Also, one letter from James Rochford to Sweetman about a private business interview with Froude (1 Mar.), two brief letters from W.H.F. Cogan (a company director and barrister) of Tinode, Co. Wicklow (Apr.) and a letter from an army officer, declining an invitation to join the board of directors [of the IACC]; 29 items

MS 47,598 /9 1881 Letters from John Sweetman to Charles Blackney (IACC secretary), mostly written from Currie, Minnesota. Subjects include investments, the transfer of funds and the manual labour involved in setting up the colony. Also, one miscellaneous letter from Joseph Taylor of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England; 22 items

MS 47,598 /10 1881-1882 Letters from Lattin Thunder (a company director) of Navan, Co. Meath, to Charles Blackney (IACC secretary) with a couple of brief notes from R.H. Froude. Subjects include the making of company reports and convening meetings of directors; 10 items

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MS 47,599 /1 1881-1882 General correspondence from public figures relating to the I.A.C.C. Includes letters from P.H. Bagenal (author and civil servant), John A. Blake (MP Waterford Co.), George Errington (MP Longford Co.), Arthur Moore, Thomas Spring Rice, 2nd Baron Monteagle and Charlotte Grace O’Brien (author and social reformer); 10 items

MS 47,599 /2 Undated [1881-1882] Copies of two lengthy Sweetman letters, as well as one short letter to the [North Western] Chronicle, arguing in favour of free trade and criticising American protectionists [1881]. Also, notes for a Sweetman speech on credit option facing American farmers, a brief note on the cooperative movement in England and a draft of a letter responding to some criticism of his Catholic colony; 6 items

MS 47,599 /3 1881-1883 Letters from Fr. James Nugent of the Catholic Colonisation Society’s office in Liverpool, principally regarding transportation arrangements for men going to America; 8 items

MS 47,599 /4 1881-1883 Letters from individuals regarding their inability to assist the scheme, including one sent on behalf of Kells Union Workhouse. Also, a letter from Ernest Hart (medical journalist and Liberal Party figure), a letter from a man offering to assist the IACC in Preston, Lancashire, and a letter sent to Thunder (acting secretary IACC, Dublin) from J.J. Jones (director of ‘The International Labour and Emigration Agency’) of London; 9 items

MS 47,599 /5 1881-1884 Communications from Craig, Gardner and Co. (Dame St., Dublin) in its capacity as auditor and accountant for the IACC; 6 items

MS 47,599 /6 1881-84 Letters from various IACC shareholders. Includes some letters about the company’s lack of profits (Mar. 1884); 30 items

MS 47,599 /7 1882 Letters from Sweetman to Charles Blackney (IACC Secretary), mostly written from Currie, Minnesota. Subjects include publicity, the progress of the colony and problematic tenants (18 Jun.); 13 items

MS 42,085 1882-1888 Letter book of the IACC from February 1882 to January 1887, containing copy letters written on company business by John Sweetman and Charles Blackney (IACC Secretary), with index of

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correspondents at front. Also contains two copy letters by Charles Blackney giving notice of annual meetings (April 1887 and August 1888); 502pp

MS 47,599 /8 1884 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (P.P., Currie, Minnesota). Subjects include the progress of the I.A.C.C. colony and reflections on religion; 10 items [For personal letters between Fr. Martin Mahony and John Sweetman see section X.i.2]

MS 47,599 /9 1883-1884 Letters from John Sweetman to ‘My dear John [Andrew Sweetman]’ (one letter marked ‘cousin’), sent from Currie, providing news of the colony and some advise regarding managing accounts [in Dublin] and placing advertisements; 10 items

MS 47,599 /10 1883-1885 Letters from R.H. Froude, W.H.F. Cogan and Arthur Kavanagh (company director) to Sweetman, as well as an undated draft of a note by Sweetman intended for the company directors. Subjects include the payment of shares and difficulties facing the company (Mar. 1884);11 items

MS 47,599 /11 1884-1887 Letters from Sweetman to Charles Blackney (IACC secretary), subjects of Sweetman’s letters include the placing of advertisements, company accounts and his and Bishop Ireland’s meeting with church dignitaries during their trip to Rome (Feb.-Mar. 1887). Also, a couple of letters from Lattin Thunder to Blackney, two income tax forms, and some letters from Blackney to Sweetman, sent from America (Feb.-Mar.1884), regarding his inability to find work whilst in St. Paul, Minnesota; 25 items

MS 47,599 /12 c.1886-95 Literature regarding some English colonisation schemes. Includes a report on a scheme to settle East-London artisans in Assiniboia, Canada (undated [late 1886]) and a House of Commons sub-committee report on state-directed colonisation (29 Jul. 1887). Also, two letters of the Home Colonisation Society [1892] and a report of its honorary director with a statement of accounts from 1895. Also included, three government notifications regarding stamp-duties (1887-89) and a miscellaneous letter of Robert Taaffe (Feb.1890) regarding his resettlement in Mexico; 9 items

MS 47,599 /13 1888

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Letters from Sweetman to Charles Blackney (IACC secretary), subjects include company accounts and reducing the number of company directors (Jul). Also, some letters of Lattin Thunder and Hugh O’Connor (a company director) regarding an attempt to hold an annual general meeting. Also, a communication regarding income tax due (28 Nov.); 19 items

MS 47,599 /14 1889-1891 Letters from Sweetman to Charles Blackney (IACC secretary) about the payment of income tax and management of company books. Also, a communication regarding income tax due (24 Oct. 1889). Also, a pocket diary (mostly blank) from 1889 and three miscellaneous American business cards; 9 items

MS 47,599 /15 1892 A copy of a Sweetman letter to Rev. Dr. Fitzpatrick (Mount Melleray Abbey), providing a history of his previous efforts, made in vain, to get a religious order to settle at Currie and offering 800 acres to his [Cistercian] order. Also, a grateful but negative reply from ‘B.F. [B. Fitzpatrick], Abbot’; 2 items

MS 47,599 /16 1909-10 Letters and documents regarding the winding up of the I.A.C.C. (17 Dec. 1909). Includes a copy of a letter to Walter Sweetman (Currie, Minn.) regarding the meeting of a debt (21 Jun. 1909), and some letters to and from Charles Blackney regarding the settlement of company affairs (Dec.1909-Mar. 1910); 24 items

VIII.vi. Financial Papers

MS 47,600 /1 1880-1882

Miscellaneous financial records of the IACC, includes a printed balance sheet and profit-and-loss account (31 Dec. 1881) and an annual report and statement made by Sweetman at a general meeting on 3 Apr. 1882. Also, some records of land sales; 11 items

MS 47,600 /2 1880-1801 Account book, cash account for IACC, contains accounts for office expenses, advertisements, passages and goods of emigrants; c.100pp

MS 42,086 1881 Account book of IACC for the year 1881. Details accounts with various different companies and individuals, with an index at the front; c.200pp

MS 42,087 1881

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Waste or Day Account book of John Sweetman while in America [on ICCA business] from February to April 1881; c.200pp [There is some damage to the spine]

MS 42,088 1881-1882 Book of printed share certificates for the IACC. Only the first 20 sheets have been used to issue shares, the remaining counterfoils give details of number of shares and who they were issued to; c.200pp [There is some damage to the spine]

MS 47,600 /3 1881-1882 Copies of IACC share certificates issued to Sweetman and several other prominent shareholders; 19 items

MS 47,600 /4 1881-1883 Letters from Martins (Lombard St., London), the bankers for the IACC, regarding various financial transactions; 12 items

MS 47,600 /5 1881-1884 Receipts for cost incurred by John Sweetman as director of the IACC, including receipts for rent of offices, office equipment and some for cost of relating to emigration, Feb. 1881-Jul. 1884; 53 items

MS 47,600 /6 1881-85 Miscellaneous receipts for financial transactions of John Sweetman in Minnesota [relating to IACC business]. Includes two used cheque books, receipts of payments by cheque and a note from the Stock Exchange Year Book, requesting a balance sheet of the company for 1882; 17 items

MS 42,089 1881-1900 Guard book containing form of application for shares in the IACC, Bankers Receipts, financial correspondence, cheques, and witness statements of transfer of shares, mainly to John Sweetman. Index at front to those names in documents; c.200pp

MS L 181 1883 Transfer journal of shares in IACC; c.100pp

MS 47,600 /7 1887-1889 Profit and loss accounts and balance sheets for the year ending 31 Dec. 1887, 31 Dec. 1888 and 31 Dec. 1889. Also, a list of shareholders (31 Dec. 1888) and letters from Maxwell and Weldon (solicitors) requesting a copy of the company’s profit-and-loss account and balance sheet (Nov. 1888); 6 items

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MS 47,600 /8 1894 Profit-and-loss accounts and balance sheets for the IACC for various terms during 1894; 9 items

MS 47,600 /9 1901-1908 Profit-and-loss accounts and balance sheets for the IACC for 1901-08. Some reports are in duplicate, no report is present for 1903; 12 items

VIII.vii. Maps

MS L 192 1880

Wall map of ‘New Sections & Rail Road map of Minnesota & N. W. Wisconsin’; 1 item Please note that this item is very large.

MS L 193 Undated Wall map of the ‘United States & Mexico. Constructed and Engineered by W & A K Johnston’; 1 item Please note that this item is very large.

MS L 194 Undated Fragments of a map of [all or part] of America; 1 item This map is in very poor condition and cannot be issued.

MS 47,600 /10 Undated ‘Wm. H Gurnsey’s Guide Map of New York City’; 1 item

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IX. Great Southern and Western Railway controversy MS 47,601 /1 1873, [1901]

Miscellaneous communications from other railway companies on petty matters, includes two notes from Sweetman’s solicitors about an unknown matter relating to ‘Sullivan’, as well as two notes in an unidentified hand about railways generally; 8 items

MS 47,601 /2 1902 Letters and documents, including newspaper clippings, about Catholic shareholders’ protest at the employment practices of Protestant directors of the Great Southern and Western Railway. Includes letters of Fr. William O’Donnell (P.P., Waterford) suggesting this action, copies of supportive letters of Sweetman and circulars of a committee set up for this purpose, signed by J.J. Horgan (honorary secretary). Also, ‘counsel’s opinion’ from T.M. Healy (26 Dec.) on this case as well as a 3pp advisory report by A.P. Quinn; 35 items

MS 47,601 /3 1903 A half-year report of the directors of the Great Southern and Western Railway, including statement of accounts and submitted to a general meeting of the company on 14 Feb. 1903. With a drafts statements by Sweetman suggesting that a shareholders’ committee be appointed to enquire into the whole management of the company (undated); 7 items

MS 47,601 /4 1903 A printed list highlighting the names of all Protestant officials with the Great Southern and Western Railway, with a manuscripts lists of names [on the same subject]. Also, some cuttings of Sweetman letters to the press about the Great Southern and Western Railway controversy, with a press-cutting reproducing a ‘declaration of fidelity and secrecy’ that the Great Southern and Western Railway introduced for employees, with related items; 15 items

MS 47,601 /5 1903 Letters relating to the Great Southern and Western Railway controversy. Correspondents include Fr. William O’Donnell, J.J. Horgan, Cork, M.J. Horgan, Cork, David Moriarty, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Hugh Kennedy (secretary of the Catholic Association), James Casey, Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo and Sir John Nutting J.P. Also includes cuttings of Sweetman letters to the press; 44 items

MS 47,601 /6 1903 Letters and documents relating to the Great Southern and Western Railway controversy, including a circular letter of the Catholic Shareholders’ Committee and letters of M.J. Horgan, David Moriarty

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and ‘M. Sullivan’, with an undated press-cutting; 29 items

MS 47,601 /7 1904-1905 Three letters regarding a partial resolution of the dispute over employment practices in the Great Southern and Western Railway (Aug. 1904). Also, a report of the company directors (Feb. 1905), three circular letters sent to the company’s shareholders (Apr.-May 1905) and two letters (4 Sep., 6 Nov.1905) from Sir William Goulding (director). Also, some letters of company shareholders; 17 items

MS 47,601 /8 1906-1908 A half-year report of the directors of the Great Southern and Western Railway [includes a statement of accounts and submitted to a general meeting of the company on 14 Feb. 1907]. Also, three letters from M. Sullivan (shareholder) about the company. Also, a letter from Alfred Webb (Jan. 1908) on voting for a Great Southern and Western Railway auditor (with an attached brief personal note from Webb). Also, four miscellaneous items regarding whether or not a proposed ‘Mullingar, Kells and Drogheda Line’ [of the Great Northern Railway?] would suit the inhabitants of Kells village; 12 items

MS 47,601 /9 1909-1915 A copy of a Sweetman letter to William Goulding (director), supporting him in the face of socialist criticisms, with a sympathetic reply (Sep. 1911). Also a circular letter of Fr. William O’Donnell (P.P., Waterford) calling for further action to be taken against the company, with a copy of Sweetman’s negative response written on the reverse (Mar. 1913). Also, a couple of letters to and from Sir Stanley Harrington (company auditor) dating from Jan.-Feb. 1915. Also, one earlier letter from N.J. Synott (Naas, Co. Kildare) about the company (Aug.1909); 8 items

MS 47,601 /10 1922, 1930 Letters regarding the company’s decision to purchase the ‘Cork, Bandon and South Coast Line’ (May 1922). Also, a Sweetman letter to the Irish Railways Commission, arguing in favour of shareholders’ holding greater powers in Irish railway companies generally (Jun.-Jul. 1922). Also, a letter from and copy of a letter to ‘M. O’Connell’ (Listowel, Co. Kerry) regarding the possibility of altering the management of the Great Southern and Western Railway (Aug. 1930); 8 items

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X. Professional correspondence

X.i. Minnesota Correspondence

X.i.1. General correspondence

MS 47,602 /1 1886 TS copy [by Sophie Sweetman McConnell of New York] of a statement made by Sweetman on 22 January 1886 about the reason why he built and named the ‘Immaculate Heart of Mary’ church in Currie, Minnesota. In the statement he explains that, a week before she died in 1879, his mother claimed to have seen (at the end of her bed) the Blessed Virgin unfolding her robes to reveal her Immaculate Heart, and that this vision relieved her from very intense suffering and allowed her to die peacefully, secure in the knowledge that her surviving child [John Sweetman] was under Our Lady’s protection. This statement appears to be a copy of a document that Sweetman donated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary church during 1888 so that parishioners would have a record of the origins of the church. It also features a request that the letter would not be read until after the death of its author; 2pp.

MS 47,602 /2 1886 Carbon copies of Sweetman letters (written from Currie, Minnesota), including a cover-letter sent to Michael Davitt in forwarding a publication of ‘[Orestes A.] Brownson’s political writings’. Also, letters to a Brownson memorial committee and a Sweetman letter to the Catholic University of America suggesting that it should establish a ‘Brownson Chair of Philosophy’. Also, a letter to Fr. James Morris (Limavady, Co. Derry), suggesting that he try to persuade more Irish priests to come to America, Also, a letter to ‘[J.P.] O’Connor, [secretary of the Catholic Colony]’; 12 items

MS 47,602 /3 1886-1888, 1955 A letter in French from [Saint] Don Bosco (Superior of Salesian Order in Turin) to John Sweetman regarding Sweetman’s offer to help to establish a branch of the Salesian Order in Minnesota (24 Dec.). A copy of the Bulletin Salesien (vol.10, no.3, Mar. 1888) with a report on the funeral of Don Bosco (this item is in French, quite frail with a torn front-page and is kept in Mylar). Also, a photocopy of a 3pp obituary for Don Bosco (1815-1888) that Sweetman wrote in Minnesota, and a torn page in Mylar, containing an extract of an obituary for Don Bosco [copied in Sweetman’s hand]. Also, a carbon copy of a Sweetman letter about the outcome of a meeting he held [in Turin? with [Saint] Don Bosco the previous year (25 Apr. 1888). Also, two copies of a article (source and author unknown) about a meeting with [Saint] Don Bosco

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[translated into English from Gazette de Liege] and a press-cutting featuring an extract from this same article. Also included, a copy of a letter to, and an original letter from, [Don] Michael Rua (Superior of the Salesians in Turin, Italy) regarding the promise of his predecessor [Don Bosco] to provide help to Sweetman in founding his own Salesian school within the Catholic Colony in Currie, Minnesota (Dec. 1889). Also included, a note regarding efforts by the Sweetman family to trace the history of John Sweetman’s association with Bosco (undated [1950?]). Also, a copy of The Help of Christians (vol.15, no.2, Feb.-Mar. 1955), published by the Salesian Missionary College in Limerick and including a 4pp article on Sweetman’s association with Don Bosco by D.A. Lyons, S.D.B; 13 items See also Section X.i.3. Letters from Fr. George Langel

MS 47,602 /4 [c.1886-1889] Drafts or carbon copies of letters of John Sweetman (Currie) to various American Catholic publications about contemporary issues facing Catholics. Also, copies of Sweetman letters to the North Western Chronicle on some issues facing local people within the Catholic Colony. The print on some copies is very faded. Some items are also undated. Also included, a draft for an article, written by Sweetman whilst in America, entitled ‘the Catholic and the ballot box’ [1880s]; 24 items

MS 47,602 /5 1887-1889 Carbon copies of Sweetman letters, mostly to priests, regarding funding for various religious projects. Includes a few letters to J.J. Keane, Bishop of Richmond and rector of the Catholic University of America, and ‘[J.P.] O’Connor, secretary of the Catholic Colony’; 17 items

MS 47,602 /6 1887-1892 Carbon copies of letters of John Sweetman (Currie) to Bishop John Ireland of St. Paul, Minnesota, as well as to ‘Bishop [Joseph Bernard] Cotter’ of Winona, Minnesota, with some original letters from the latter. Subjects include drunkenness in Currie, an unpopular priest [Fr. McTeague] and the possibility of establishing religious houses locally. Includes a few related letters written by a Br. Benedict of Cleveland, Ohio. Also, a photograph of the unpopular priest Fr. McTeague [c.1918]. Also included, a letter from a [Fr.] Joseph O’Keeffe to Sweetman, alleging that he was maltreatment by Bishop Ireland (16 Sep. 1891). Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to Bishop Ireland about a Minnesota priest who had publicly criticised the Catholic hierarchy’s political interventions in Ireland (18 Nov. 1891); 20 items

MS 47,602 /7 1889-1912 A letter from J.J. Keane,[Bishop of Richmond and rector of the

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Catholic University of America, forwarding a letter (in French) of the Superior General of the Institute of the Brothers of Charity in Gand (Belgium). Also, a copy of Sweetman’s reply to the Superior General and a subsequent reply in French (Feb.-Mar.1889). Also, two later letters of Fr. Keane, written whilst he was Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa, including a letter sent from Cork (25 Jul. 1901) during a brief visit to Ireland; 6 items

MS 47,602 /8 1890-1892 Carbon copies of Sweetman letters (written from Currie, Minnesota). Subjects include the publication of papal encyclicals and Sweetman’s criticisms of some American Catholic journals for holding what he considered to be heterodox religious views. Also, a draft of a statement [Nov. 1892] calling upon the Catholic Colony in Currie, Minnesota to hold a demonstration for Irish home rule; 16 items

MS 47,602 /9 1892-1896 Letters from Hugh O’Callaghan (Currie, Minnesota) of the I.A.C.C., providing news of particular settlers, contracts and the colony generally. Includes one letter (Feb. 1896) written from Bray, Co. Wicklow, after O’Callaghan’s retirement; 24 items

MS 47,602 /10 1892-1909 Letters from John A. Cummiskey (Currie, Minnesota) about his enrolling in the North American College of Rome, his time there and his eventual ordination as a priest (1892-97). Also, three later letters of Fr. Cummiskey, including one written from Bishop Cotter’s house in Winona, Minnesota in which he thanks Sweetman for the support he had given over the years in encouraging him to enter the religious life; 10 items

MS 47,602 /11 1894-1913 Letters from J.D. O’Brien (St. Paul solicitor). Subjects include his assumption of work [as editor] for ‘the Chronicle’ [North Western Chronicle, St. Paul], a legal settlement involving Sweetman (1899), a visit of a Mrs. [Caroline] Schurmeier to Ireland (1902) and general news. Includes some letters reflecting on Irish politics, including Sinn Féin (1907-08). Also, a letter from J.P. O’Connor on the death of J.D. O’Brien and other matters (26 Nov. 1913); 13 items

MS 47,602 /12 1899-1914 Copies of letters to John Ireland (Archbishop of St. Paul) and Bishop Joseph Cotter of Winona, with some letters from the former. Includes letters of Ireland about the possibility of their meeting during his visits to Ireland (1899-1900), developments in Currie (1908) and receiving Douglas Hyde (president of the Gaelic League) when he comes to St.

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Paul (1905). Also included is a torn letter, in Mylar, of Archbishop Ireland to Fr. Mahony that was forwarded to Sweetman; 11 items

MS 47,602 /13 1910-1919 Letters from Neil Currie (of St. Paul and founder of Currie town) providing news of business developments in Minnesota. Includes a photo of Fr. Martin Mahony in Mendota, Minn. (taken by Neil Currie in 1914). Also, two photos of Wissota Dam taken by Neil Currie (Jul. 1916) and two Christmas picture-postcards featuring photos of the Currie family (1916). Also included, a letter from and a copy of a letter to the daughter of William J. O’Nahan (d.12 Jan. 1919) with a mass card for her father (featuring portrait). Also, a few letters from P.A. O’Sullivan (secretary St. Paul Catholic Historical Society). Also, a letter from Fr. Charles Cavanagh (Currie) regarding the return of [stolen] money by a man who wished to remain anonymous (Apr. 1913); 17 items

MS 47,602 /14 1916, 1920-1924 Letters from Fr. John A. Cummiskey (Lake City, Minn.) on his life as a priest, his duties at Lake City and various church collections. Includes a letter from a Fr. Colbert (Currie) regarding a message from Fr. Cummiskey (Dec. 1923). Also included, a press-cutting of an article by John Steele, of Chicago, on Irish political developments (attached to Fr. Cummiskey’s letter of 26 Aug. 1920); a press-cutting (undated [1916?]) regarding a collection made for Fr. Cummiskey; a programme for an organ recital in his church; and a bulletin of the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minn., where Fr. Cummiskey taught; 12 items

X.i.2. Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony

MS 47,603 /1 1885-1886

Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (St. Paul, Minn.). Subjects include duties performed for his bishop (Bishop Ireland), personnel changes in parishes and Catholic publications. Includes several postcards and one undated letter [1886]; 31 items

MS 47,603 /2 1887 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (St. Paul, Minn.) on general religious matters; 10 items

MS 47,603 /3 1888-1889 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (St. Paul, Minn.) on general religious matters. Includes several postcards, two undated letters [1888] and a copy of a circular letter of Fr. Mahony (25 Apr. 1888) in support of The Lyceum, Fr. Finlay’s Jesuit journal in Dublin; 20 items

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MS 47,603 /4 1890-1891

Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (St. Paul and Marysburg, Minn.) on general religious matters; 13 items

MS 47,603 /5 1892-1893 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (publisher of Manifestos, a Catholic weekly, St. Paul) on general religious matters. Includes a couple of undated letters; 13 items

MS 47,603 /6 1894-1895 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (publisher of Manifestos, a Catholic weekly, St. Paul) on religious matters. Also, some letters reflecting on Irish nationalist authors or Irish affairs, as well as one letter with an attached clipping of a review of a Sweetman article (19 Feb. 1895); 17 items

MS 47,603 /7 1896 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (publisher of Manifestos, a Catholic weekly, St. Paul), generally on publications and religious matters. Many letters also have attached newspaper clippings on various subjects, sent by Fr. Mahony; 17 items

MS 47,603 /8 1897-1899 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (publisher of Manifestos, a Catholic weekly, St. Paul). The letters are generally about religion, Irish affairs or publications. Includes one letter from Fr. George Langel that was forwarded by Fr. Mahony who in turn forwarded it to John Sweetman (attached to 26 Jun. 1897); 16 items

MS 47,603 /9 1900-1902 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Mendota, Minn.) generally on religion or Irish affairs. Includes one undated letter [1902] and a few letters that were forwarded by Fr. Mahony; 28 items

MS 47,603 /10 1903-1904 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Hopkins, Minn.) generally on religious or Irish affairs. Includes comments by Fr. Mahony on Irish newspapers that Sweetman had forwarded to him; 12 items

MS 47,604 /1 1905-1907 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Hopkins, Minn.) generally on religious or Irish affairs. Some letters include press-cuttings; 16 items

MS 47,604 /2 1908-1909 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Hopkins, Minn.) generally on

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religious or Irish affairs. Includes one letter (6 May 1909) written on the reverse of an illustration sent [by a French priest] from Nagoya, Japan. Also, an undated letter fragment [1909]; 13 items

MS 47,604 /3 1910 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Hopkins, Minn.) generally on religious or Irish affairs. Several letters have attached press-cuttings. One letter (27 Oct.) has an attached letter from Fr. Langel; 12 items

MS 47,604 /4 1911 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Hopkins, Minn.) generally on religious affairs. Many have attached press-cuttings, including a report on Fr. Mahony’s efforts to create a pill to cure addictions to whiskey (Jul.); 18 items

MS 47,604 /5 1912 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Hopkins, Minn.) on various matters (generally commentaries on religious or Irish affairs). Several have attached press-cuttings. Also included is an envelope (26 Jun.) consisting entirely of press-cuttings annotated with comments by Fr. Mahony; 10 items

MS 47,604 /6 1913 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Hopkins, Minn.) generally on religious or Irish affairs. Some letters have attached press-cuttings; 11 items

MS 47,604 /7 1914 Letters and press-cuttings from Fr. Martin Mahony (Mendota, Minn.) on various subject matters. Includes an envelope (21 Nov.) consisting entirely of press-cuttings sent by Fr. Mahony, and a letter of Fr. Langel (forwarded as an attachment to 9 Jan.); 16 items

MS 47,604 /8 1915-1916 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Mendota, Minn.) on personal, religious and Irish affairs. A few letters have attached press-cuttings. Also included is an envelope of press cuttings sent by Fr. Mahony (1915); 18 items

MS 47,604 /9 1917 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Mendota, Minn.) generally on personal and political affairs, some with attached press-clippings. Includes a letter from Fr. Langel to Fr. Mahony that was forwarded to Sweetman (attached 20 Dec.). Also, three envelopes consisting entirely of press-cuttings sent by Fr. Mahony; 14 items

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MS 47,604 /10 1918 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Mendota, Minn.) on personal, religious and political affairs. Some letters have attached press-cuttings. Also included are three envelopes consisting entirely of press-cuttings sent by Fr. Mahony; 15 items

MS 47,604 /11 1919-1920 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Mendota, Minn.) on various subjects, including Irish-American affairs. Includes a letter of Fr. Langel to Fr. Mahony that was forwarded to Sweetman (attached to 19 May 1919), and two envelopes consisting of press-cuttings sent by Fr. Mahony; 14 items

MS 47,604 /12 1922-29 Letters from Fr. Martin Mahony (Mendota, Minn.) on various subjects; 12 items

X.i.3. Letters from Fr. Georg Langel

MS 47,605 /1 1885

Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Newport, Michigan) on his spiritual odyssey and expressing thanks for Sweetman’s offer of friendship; 10 items

MS 47,605 /2 1886 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Newport, Michigan), including letters written from Turin, Rome and Lourdes. Subjects include their mutual friendship with Fr. Mahony, the possibility of a religious order establishing a home at Buffalo Lake, Michigan and Fr. Langel’s interviews with [Saint] Don Bosco (27 Apr., 15 Dec.). Also, a letter in French from Don Bosco to Fr. Langel (29 Nov. 1886); 17 items

MS 47,605 /3 1887-1888 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Wyandotte, Michigan). Subjects include Don Bosco (29 Mar. 1887), Fr. Langel’s possible relocation to Currie and the possibility of Dominican nuns settling at Buffalo Lake, Michigan. Includes a copy of two Sweetman letters to Fr. Langel (Feb. 1888); 14 items

MS 47,605 /4 1889-1890 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Wyandotte, Michigan) on general religious matters, including the building of a church in Huron Co., Michigan. Includes a couple of letters requesting Sweetman’s opinion of Parnell and suggesting that he go to Ireland; 10 items

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MS 47,605 /5 1891-1898 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Ruth, Huron Co., Michigan) on personal and religious matters. Includes a couple of letters reflecting on Sweetman’s election to Westminster (1892); 12 items

MS 47,605 /6 1901-1909 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Ruth, Huron Co., Michigan) on various matters. Includes Christmas greetings, a letter of Fr. Langel to ‘[Fr.] Martin [Mahony]’ (10 Jan. 1905) [that was sent via Sweetman], and a letter on the situation in Currie, Minn. (2 Dec. 1906). Also, a letter of Fr. Langel to Sweetman, denouncing Arthur Griffith’s The Resurrection of Hungary on the grounds that the Hungarian nationalists were strident enemies of the Catholic Church (5 Sept. 1905); 15 items

MS 47,605 /7 1910-1913 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Detroit, Michigan), generally on religious matters. Includes two of Fr. Langel’s letters to Fr. Mahony (22 Jul., 8 Nov. 1910) and a letter from Fr. Mahony (Nov. 1910) that Fr. Langel forwarded to John Sweetman; 13 items

MS 47,605 /8 1915-1919 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel (Detroit, Michigan) generally on religious matters. Includes some letters reflecting on the war. Also, one letter from Sweetman (22 Mar. 1915) suggesting that American Catholics should agitate to promote a general peace movement; 9 items

MS 47,605 /9 1920-1925 Letters from Fr. Georg Langel sent from Detroit (Michigan), Paris (France), and Mercy Hospital (Jackson, Michigan). Some letters deal in passing with the Benedictine controversy in Gorey, Co. Wexford, and/or Sweetman’s sons. Also included, a letter from Fr. Joseph Byrne (Paris) announcing that Fr. Langel died in Paris on 7 Dec. after fifty years in the priesthood (17 Dec.1925); 15 items

X.i.4 Letters of Walter Sweetman of Minnesota

Walter Sweetman was the son of Walter Sweetman, 1833-1905, and cousin of John Sweetman, he lived in Currie Minnesota. MS 47,606 /1 1900-1903

Letters from Walter Sweetman (Currie, Minn.), with some copies of John’s replies written on reverse. Subjects include I.A.C.C. dividends and personal matters. Includes a letter reflecting on the Boer War (4 Apr.1900) and one letter written whilst Walter was chairman of the Murray County Commission (1903). Also included, a picture-postcard

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of the church and parsonage in Currie, with a note from Walter on the reverse [c.1900]; 11 items

MS 47,606 /2 1905-1907 Letters from Walter Sweetman (general merchant, Currie, Minn.). The letters are generally about news from Currie or personal matters. They include a reference to the death of Walter Sweetman Snr. (1905) as well as the birth of John Sweetman’s daughter [Alicia] (1907). Also included, a blank picture-postcard of the Catholic convent established in Currie; 13 items

MS 47,606 /3 1908-1909 Letters from Walter Sweetman (Currie, Minn.). Subjects include business dividends, news from Currie and personal matters. Also, a letter about Bishop Ireland’s thirtieth anniversary celebrations of the Catholic Colony (1908). Also included, a copy of one letter from John Sweetman (requesting a copy of [IACC] accounts) and a letter of Walter (25 Nov.1909) that mentions the winding up of the IACC; 10 items

MS 47,606 /4 1910-1913 Letters from Walter Sweetman (Currie, Minn.) generally on family matters. Includes one letter written from his parents’ home Clohamon, Ferns (6 Apr. 1911) and a letter on the farming business in America; 20 items

MS 47,606 /5 1914 Letters from Walter Sweetman (Merriam Park, St. Paul) generally on family matters or news from Currie. Includes a memorial card for Frances Sweetman (attached to 8 May, d. 18 Apr.); 14 items

MS 47,606 /6 1915 Letters from Walter Sweetman (Merriam Park, St. Paul). Subjects include public opinion and the course of the war in Europe. Also, some letters about family matters, including a letter (28 Dec.) mentioning the death of ‘cousin Hamish’ [in England]; 18 items

MS 47,606 /7 1916 Letters from Walter Sweetman (Merriam Park, St. Paul), generally on family and business [real-estate?] matters. Includes one letter written from Currie; 11 items

MS 47,606 /8 1917 Letters from Walter Sweetman (St. Paul and Currie, Minn.). Subjects include family matters and America’s entry into the war; 14 items

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MS 47,606 /9 1918 Letters from Walter Sweetman (St. Paul). Subjects include family matters and the war. Includes a transcript of an article in St Paul Dispatch (18 Dec.) on the Bolshevik threat, and two miscellaneous letter fragments (undated [1918]); 16 items

MS 47,606 /10 1919-20 Letters from Walter Sweetman (St. Paul). Subjects include family matters, differences of opinion regarding the merits of the British political system and the possibility of an Irish political settlement being reached (Jun-Jul, Sep. 1920); 17 items

MS 47,606 /11 1925 Letters from Walter Sweetman (St. Paul). Includes a copy of a letter Walter sent to the Abbot of St. John’s [Benedictine] Abbey (Collegeville, Minn.) in support of his brother ‘Fr. [J.] Francis Sweetman’ in the controversy regarding the Gorey Benedictine house (attached to 19 Mar.). Also, letters on subsequent developments in this controversy. Also included is a press-cutting, attached to 26 Mar., on the death of railway builder [and former IACC secretary] John P. O’Connor (1852-1925); 12 items

MS 47,606 /12 1926 Letters from Walter Sweetman (St. Paul). The principal subject is the visit of ‘Father John [Francis Sweetman, OSB]’ to America in an attempt to find support for Mount St. Benedict’s and the results of his efforts. Includes a letter of Fr. Sweetman (12 Jul.). Also, a letter from Walter (5 Jan.) regarding the similarity of Fr. Sweetman’s political sympathies to those of John Sweetman and Eamon DeValera. Also, some letters reflecting on John’s protectionist ideas; 32 items

MS 47,606 /13 1927-1928 Letters from Walter Sweetman (St. Paul), including three letters from 1928. Most letters deal with general news and family affairs. A few touch on developments in Ireland (Aug. 1927). Includes a press-cutting of an interview with DeValera by a St. Paul newspaper (attached to 4 Apr. 1927) and a letter of Fr. Mahony (attached to Walter’s letter of 2 Feb. 1928); 29 items

X.ii. Religious Correspondence

X.ii.1. Catholic Hierarchy and Maynooth College

MS 47,607 /1 1897, 1901-1915

Letters to and from Fr. Laurence Gaughran, later Bishop of Meath.

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Subjects include collections for Mullingar Cathedral (1901), the cessation of card playing in St. Vincent de Paul halls and a proposed Irish language programme (programme included) for local National Schools (Jan.1902). Also included, a letter to and from Fr. Gaughran regarding his consecration as bishop (Jul.1906) and Sweetman’s suggestion to Bishop Gaughran that he should have the Pope’s anti-war message read from all altars on Sundays (Aug.1915). Also, one miscellaneous earlier letter from Fr. Gaughran (Sep.1897) regarding the necessity of only Catholics being employed in local governmental bodies; 12 items

MS 47,607 /2 1898-1904 A letter to and reply from Thomas Nulty (Bishop of Meath, 1866-98) on whether or not Catholics were forbidden to cook food using lard on Fridays all year around or only during Lent (Apr.-May 1898). Also, a copy of the pastoral letter of Matthew Gaffney (Bishop of Meath, 1899-1906) for Dec. 1900. Also, a letter of Sweetman to Bishop Gaffney suggesting that he employ Irish manufacturers in building the new cathedral at Mullingar (1901), and a letter to and from Bishop Gaffney on the establishment of a Navan seminary and the possibility of its teaching Irish (1903-04). Also included, a letter to and from Cardinal Michael Logue (Primate for All-Ireland) regarding whether or not it was possible to appeal Bishop Gaffney’s choice of prayers before Mass for the Meath congregation (Nov.1904); 12 items

MS 47,607 /3 1899-1911 A copy of a printed letter of the bishops of Ireland to Monsignor Gargan (President Maynooth College), signed by Cardinal Logue (21 Jun. 1899). Also, two letters of Monsignor Gargan to Sweetman, with replies (1900). Also, a copy of a Sweetman letter to Professor Walter McDonald (Dec.1904), a letter from Bishop Daniel Mannix (President of Maynooth College), T.P. Gilmartin (Vice-President of Maynooth College) and Dr. J.F. Logan, a future college president, to Sweetman; 9 items

MS 47,607 /4 1899-1918 Copies of five letters to Dr. E.T. O’Dwyer (Bishop of Limerick) with replies. Subjects include the university question (Jan.1899, Apr.1902, Jan. 1905), a publication by Horace Plunkett [Ireland in the New Century, 1904] and whether or not the enfranchisement of women would cause the disintegration of civilization (Feb.1912). Includes a statement on the education question, with a copy of a letter to a ‘University Education Committee’ written on the reverse (attached to Sweetman’s letter of Mar.1902). Also included, a letter from ‘Dr. Halloran’ [Denis Hallinan, Bishop of Limerick] on business life in Limerick (5 Aug. 1918); 11 items

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MS 47,607 /5 1906, 1915

A letter to ‘Dr Clancy’ (Dr. John Joseph Clancy, Bishop of Elphin) of Sligo regarding the possibility of bringing a Belgian religious order to Ireland, with a reply and an acknowledgement (Jan.1906). Also, a miscellaneous brief note (8 Aug. 1915) from Thomas O’Dea (Bishop of Galway); 4 items

MS 47,607 /6 1907 A copy of a Sweetman letter to William Walsh (Archbishop of Dublin) expressing concern about the manner of a public pronouncement by Fr. Coleman, editor of Irish Rosary, with a reply from Archbishop Walsh, noting his lack of authority over members of the religious orders. Also, a press-cutting of the protest rally of Fr. Coleman, held under United Irish League auspices in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford (Freeman’s Journal, 26 Mar. 1907); 3 items

X.ii.2. Benedictines, including letters of Fr. J.F. Sweetman

MS 47,608 /1 1896-1902

Two letters from Fr. Hugh Edmund Ford of St. Gregory’s Monastery (renamed Downside Abbey). Also, a picture postcard of Downside Abbey and a letter appealing for assistance in completing St. Gregory’s church in Bath (26 Feb. 1902). Also, two miscellaneous pages from the Downside Review and an extract of a note, in Sweetman’s hand, about the Benedictine ideal; 6 items

MS 47,608 /2 1905 A letter from Fr. J.F. Sweetman to John Sweetman on the difficulties in fulfilling his hope to establish a Benedictine school in Co. Wexford. Also, a letter to Fr. Sweetman from a man in Clonskeagh, Dublin [signature illegible], forwarding a portion of an ordinance survey map; 2 items

MS 47,608 /3 1905-1906, 1920 Letters from Fr. H.E. Ford and Fr. E.C. Butler of the Benedictine Monastery at Downside Abbey regarding Sweetman’s decision to fund the setting up an Irish branch of the Benedictines in Wexford (Apr.1905). Includes a draft and final version of the ‘memorandum of agreement’ between Sweetman and Fr. Ford (Mar.-Apr.1906). Also two letters from Fr. J.F. Sweetman, including one regarding a prospectus for St. Benedicts school in Wexford (4 Oct. 1906). Also, a letter to and from Sir Bertram Windle, president Queen’s College Cork, regarding the move (Mar.1906). Also, a press-cutting of a later article

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[1920] by Sweetman providing a history of the re-establishment of the Benedictines in Ireland [c.1905-06]; 14 items

MS 47,608 /4 1907 Letters from Fr. J.F. Sweetman to John Sweetman (cousin). Subjects include family matters and the progress of the plans for a Benedictine school; 18 items

MS 47,608 /5 1908 Letters from Fr. J.F. Sweetman to John Sweetman. Subjects include family matters and the progress of the plans for a Benedictine school; 16 items

MS 47,608 /6 1909 Letters from Fr. J.F. Sweetman (Mount St. Benedicts, Gorey) to John Sweetman. Subjects include the progress of the school and religious or family matters; 13 items

MS 47,608 /7 1909-1913 A letter to and from Fr. R.H. Connolly (Cambridge) about alleged hostility to Fr. Sweetman’s school from the English Benedictines (May 1909). Also, a letter from Abbot E.C. Butler of Downside Abbey about the possibility of expelled French Benedictines being housed in Gorey (24 Jan. 1910, with copy of Sweetman’s reply on reverse). Also, some letters from Fr. Patrick Nolan OSB on various subjects; 9 items

MS 47,608 /8 1910 Letters from Fr. J.F. Sweetman (Mount St. Benedicts, Gorey) to John Sweetman, subjects include the progress of the school; 11 items

MS 47,608 /9 1913-1914 Letters from Fr. J.F. Sweetman (Mount St. Benedicts, Gorey) to John Sweetman, subjects include family matters and the progress of the school; 7 items

MS 47,608 /10 1914-1915 A report of the ‘Downside Abbey Church Guild’, forwarded by Abbot Butler (24 Jan. 1914). Also, two copies of a subsequent letter of Sweetman to Abbot Butler, with replies by G. Roger Hudleston (Guild Secretary) and Abbot Butler himself. Also, one related letter of Fr. J.F. Sweetman (Jan.-Feb. 1914) and a later letter from Hudleston, reminding Sweetman that he had not yet paid his subscription to the Downside Abbey Church Guild (17 Nov. 1915); 6 items

MS 47,608 /11 1919 Correspondence regarding a controversy surrounding the Benedictine

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house in Gorey. Includes copies of letters from Canon James Murphy (P.P. Gorey) to Fr. Sweetman (Apr.); TS copies of a series of letters between Abbot Butler (Downside Abbey) and Bishop William Codd of Ferns (Oct.-Nov.); and a letter of Abbot Butler to Fr. Sweetman (Nov.). Also included is a copy of an extract of a letter of Abbot Butler to Rome [St. Anselm’s], about a wish of the monks in Downside Abbey to sever their connections with the Irish Benedictine House if the latter continued to actively identify with Sinn Féin (Dec.). Also included, copies of letters from John Sweetman (Kells) to Cardinal Gasquet (Rome) and T.H.G. Esmonde (St. Stephens Green Club, Dublin) regarding this controversy, with replies. Also, an undated bitter note [in Sweetman’s hand] regarding the Irish secular clergy’s unfavourable stance regarding the religious orders. Also, a letter from Sweetman on the possibility of establishing a private social club for past students of Mount St. Benedicts now attending university in Dublin; 18 items

MS 47,608 /12 1919-1920 Letters to and from Fr. MacSweeney (editor Irish Ecclesiastical Record) and Fr. Darlington S.J. (editor Irish Monthly) regarding a Sweetman article on Benedictine monachism (Nov.1919-Feb.1920). Also, a newspaper cutting of a Sweetman article on the Benedictines (Irish Independent, 3 Jan. 1920). Also, a letter to and from Abbot Butler on the possibility of establishing a full Benedictine monastery at Mount St. Benedict, and resisting the Wexford diocesan clergy’s efforts to close the local Benedictine house (Dec. 1920). Also included, a miscellaneous postcard sent to Fr. J.F. Sweetman (Rome) by Sheila Gwynn (Firenze, Italy) on 12 Mar. 1921; 14 items

MS 47,608 /13 1923-1925 A letter to and from Fr. Patrick Nolan (OSB, Mount St. Benedicts) on Sweetman’s son Patrick and other matters. Also, letters from James Coleman (Cobh) regarding the ongoing quarrel between the diocesan and monastic clergy over Mount St. Benedicts. Also, a letter to and from Fr. James O’Hanlon (convent chaplain, St. Mary’s Refuge, Birmingham) on the subject of job prospects for one of Sweetman’s sons; 10 items

MS 47,608 /14 1925 A printed solicitor’s report of evidence taken in reply to charges made against Fr. J.F. Sweetman [that he allowed Mount St. Benedicts to serve as a base for the anti-treaty IRA during the civil war] (19 Apr. 1925). Also, a letter of Fr. Sweetman written from the Benedictine College of St. Anselm, Rome (5 Nov. 1925), and a letter to and from Abbot Ramsay (Downside Abbey), regarding the level of impact that Rome had in the decision to close Mount St. Benedicts; 4 items

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MS 47,608 /15 1927-1928 Letters to and from Abbot Ramsay regarding the repayment of Sweetman’s loan to Downside Abbey, for the purchase of Mount St. Benedicts in 1907 (8 Aug.-23 Oct. 1927). Also, two letters from E.C. Butler, former Abbot of Downside Abbey, now of Ealing Priory, London, on the conversion of St. Benedict’s Priory of Colwich into [St. Mary’s] Abbey, his memories of Sweetman’s sister [Sister Teresa Magdalene] and a request to help a lady friend of his fulfill her life’s vocation by becoming a nun; 16 items

MS 47,608 /16 1942-1981 9pp TS document compiled by Fr. Sweetman to assist his efforts to reopen Mount St. Benedicts. The document featuring copies of letters of Dame Bernard Stewart (Benedictine Abbey, Kylemore, Co. Galway) to the ‘Lord Abbot’ [of Downside Abbey]; a letter of Lady Abbess Placid (Kylemore Abbey) to Fr. Sweetman, with a reply; and a protest letter of Fr. Sweetman to the Bishop of Ferns. Also, an undated press-cutting of an article by Fr. Sweetman on the ‘Hollyfort Helpers Guild’, an inter-denominational lay body in Wexford, set up to assist in war-time relief, and an undated press-cutting on an 80th birthday celebration for Fr. Sweetman [1953]. Also, a press-cutting of Brendan Ó Cathaoir, ‘Fr. Sweetman and Mount St. Benedict’ (Irish Times, 16 Sep. 1981); 4 items

X.ii.3. Jesuits and Carmelites

MS 47,609 /1 1882-1993

A letter from Fr. Aloysius Coughlan of St. Teresa’s Carmelite monastery, Clarendon St., Dublin, about the first centenary of the Carmelite church on Clarendon St. and the Sweetman family’s historic support for that church (’28 Apr.’ [1893]). Also included an 8pp pamphlet to mark the first centenary of the church (Oct. 1893), forwarded by Fr. Coughlan. Also included, a 6pp colour brochure, issued a century later, in the run up to the bicentenary of the Carmelite monastery (Oct. 1993). Also included, a miscellaneous letter from a ‘Miss Molyneux’ in the Carmelite convent of Delgany, Co. Wicklow (25 Apr. 1882); 4 items

MS 47,609 /2 1890-1894, 1911 Letters from Fr. T.A. Finlay, journal editor, staff member of University College Dublin, on his editorial work. Also, a copy of one Sweetman letter to Fr. Finlay on the theme of combating religious indifference (1 Feb.1894). The subject of Fr. Finlay’s letters include the publication of Lyceum (Feb.1890), his invitations to Sweetman to contribute to the New Ireland Review (1894) and the reasons for his ultimate resignation

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as editor (Feb.1911); 5 items

MS 47,609 /3 1894-1912 Letters from Fr. Matthew Russell S.J. (editor Irish Monthly). Most letters are grateful acknowledgements to Sweetman for his continuous support for the publication. Includes one letter from Fr. Russell on the university question (29 Dec. 1908) and one advertisement for Fr. Russell’s verse and religious pamphlets; 11 items

MS 47,609 /4 1901-1909 Letters to and from Fr. William Delany of University College Dublin. Subjects include rivalries between Catholic colleges (Feb.1901), the Liberal government’s proposed university scheme (1907) and the controversy regarding compulsory Irish (1908). Also, Sweetman’s support of a Catholic university-scholarship scheme on the condition that it would not be open to females (1905). Delany’s letters include a lengthy reflection on the history of University College (14 Feb.1907) and a letter in which he notes his opposition to the playing of ‘God save the King’ (29 Jan.1909); 4 items

X.ii.4. General religious correspondence

MS 47,610 /1

1873-1880 Two letters from Fr. ‘George D. Davis’ [an old friend in the Downside Abbey school]; a letter from the secretary of the ‘Gregorian Society’ with a copy of the rules of the same; and four letters in French. Also included, a copy of a Sweetman lecture in praise of Cardinal Newman’s autobiography; 11 items

MS 47,610 /2 1880-1889 General correspondence from religious. Includes two brief personal letters from Edward McCabe (Archbishop of Dublin, then Cardinal), a miscellaneous letter from a Fr. Callan SJ (of Gardiner Street, Dublin) and a letter from an American Franciscan priest. Also included, a copy of The New Rule of The Third Order of St. Francis, for Seculars; or, Constitution of Our Most Holy Lord Leo XIII, By Divine Providence Pope, concerning The Law of the Third Order of Franciscans (New York and Cincinnati, 1883); 10 items

MS 47,610 /3 [1888]-1907 Letters regarding the Kells ‘conference’ of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, including a couple of letters from the office of the Superior Council for Ireland (Nov.-Dec.1901). Also, a copy of Sweetman’s letter of resignation as president of the Kells conference (9 Apr. 1907) due to his having moved to 47 Merrion Sq., Dublin; 19 items

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MS 47,610 /4 1891-1897

TS copy of 3pp extract from a Papal Encyclical on the ‘Condition of Labour’ [Rerum Novarum, 15 May, 1891]. Also, a copy of a letter to and two letters from Mother Morrogh Bernard (Superior of Sisters of Charity convent in Foxford, Co. Mayo), including a letter sent in her capacity as a leader of the ‘Providence Technical Woolen Manufactory’ (Foxford, Co, Mayo). Also, a communication from the Catholic Union of Great Britain (1894), a letter from Fr. Gaughran (1892) and a letter from Fr. ‘Riedan’ of Limerick (1897); 7 items

MS 47,610 /5 1899-1909 Letters from Ms. Susannah H. Eiffe of Liverpool, requesting charity from Sweetman [in his capacity as a member of St. Vincent de Paul]; 12 items

MS 47,610 /6 1900-1901 General religious correspondence. Includes letters regarding Sweetman’s refusal to fund a proposed sanctuary in a church in Northamptonshire; a letter and membership card denoting Sweetman’s life membership of the ‘St. James Catholic Association’ [Dublin]; a request for funding from St. Anthony’s Orphanage in Grimsby [Lincolnshire, England]; a letter from the Convent Of Our Lady of Mercy (Kells, Co. Meath); and a statement of accounts for the Catholic Truth Society of Ireland (25 Jan. 1901). Also, one miscellaneous letter in French. 21 Jul. 1900-23 Sep. 1901. 11 items

MS 47,610 /7 1902-1905 Letters from Fr. Glendon [editor of the Dominican Irish Rosary] and Joseph F. Delaney calling for the establishment of a new Catholic defence association, with copies of Sweetman’s dismissive replies (1902). Also, a circular letter from the Catholic Organisation Committee, signed by Edward Martyn and Joseph Mooney, and a pamphlet on ‘The Question of Catholic Organisation’ (Jul.-Aug.1902). Also, a letter from M. Sullivan (22 Aug. 1905), secretary of the ‘Catholic Defence Society’, forwarding a copy of the ‘Constitution of the Proposed Catholic Defence Society’, with a copy of Sweetman’s dismissive reply (22 Aug.1905); 14 items

MS 47,610 /8 1903-1909 Letters sent to Sweetman that accused the Catholic Church in Ireland of being motivated by avarice and indifference to the poor; 5 items

MS 47,610 /9 1904-1919 General religious correspondence. Includes a letter from Fr. M. Kelly (Sligo) on temperance, a letter from Fr. McGlinchy (Carndonagh, Co.

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Donegal) on the university question, and a letter from Fr. Patrick Ivers (Catholic University), with copies of some replies by Sweetman. Also, a letter from the Catholic Truth Society of Ireland (1914), a letter from the International Catholic Club (London) and a few letters to and from Fr. Michael Dooley (Kells). Also, a letter regarding a memorial for Fr. Dooley (May 1919); 16 items

MS 47,610 /10 1910 Letters from Clara Smith, author of Ireland’s great future in the pages of revelation (Dublin [1910]), with a copy of one Sweetman reply. Also, a flyer advertising her book; 5 items

MS 47,610 /11 1920-1927 Copy letters to Fr. Flynn, with one reply, on the payment of church dues (1920-1), a letter from Fr. Augustin Emery of the Birmingham Archdiocese (Jul. 1923), three flyers of the Catholic Truth Society (including two brief biographies of saints), and letters regarding an appeal by a Fr. Stanislaus O.M.I. for funding for a coconut farm in Ceylon (May-Jun. 1927). Also included, a page of the Irish Independent (3 Oct 1927) reporting on a national synod at Maynooth; 15 items

MS 47,610 /12 1929-1934 A copy of the papal encyclicals Christian Education of Youth (1929) and The Social Order (1931), as published by the Catholic Truth Society. Also, letter(s) from Fr. Francis Wall (St. Mary’s Parish, Haddington Rd., Dublin), Fr. J.R. Moran (Claremorris, Co. Mayo), Fr. Peter Doyle (Kells, Co. Meath) and Fr. J.P. Connolly S.J. [editor Studies]. Also, a letter to and from Fr. Edward J. Byrne (Archbishop of Dublin) on the subject of fast days (Jun.1934); 11 items

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XI. Newspaper cuttings

XI.i. Bound volumes MS 47,611 1877-93

A copybook containing pasted newspaper-cuttings of Sweetman letters to newspapers on the Irish political situation; 24pp.

MS L 182 1903 A bound volume of newspaper-cuttings from various journals, including many letters of Sweetman to the press, as well as some cuttings on related events; 65pp. [Conservation: binding is broken and weak, while the pages are fraying]

MS L 183 1904-1907 A bound volume of newspaper-cuttings from various journals. Includes some letters of Sweetman and many-cuttings on current affairs of the day. Includes an introductory thematic index; 76pp.

MS L 184 1907-08, 1912 A bound volume of newspaper cuttings from various Irish journals relating to Sweetman, Sinn Féin and current affairs. Includes some cuttings (principally from the Leader and Freeman’s Journal) from 1912, and two-cuttings from American newspapers on Sinn Féin (1907) featuring portraits of Martyn, Griffith and Sweetman (pp13-15); 91pp.

MS L 185 1913-15 Bound volume of newspaper cuttings from various Irish journals, including Sweetman letters to the press and many cuttings relating to current affairs. Includes a flyer for a school play featuring Sweetman’s sons (Jan. 1913) and a flyer reprinting a statement of Bishop Edward Thomas of Limerick on ‘Irish emigrants and English mobs’ (Nov. 1915); 100pp.

MS L 186 1916-24 Bound volume of newspaper-cuttings on the course of Irish political affairs. Includes one loose page of MS notes [page references?] and some incompletely bound pages of notes by Sweetman inserted between pages; 101pp.

MS 42,090 1924-36 Bound volume of newspaper-cuttings on the course of Irish political affairs. Includes many letters of Sweetman to The Leader, including his last letter to the press in which he argued that if Arthur Griffith was still alive he would have been a member of Fianna Fáil (30 May 1936).

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Also included are 4pp of newspaper obituaries for John Sweetman (Sep. 1936), a page of obituaries for his wife Agnes (Nov. 1936) and a 2pp cutting about the donation of a pocket-book of Wolfe Tone, formerly in the possession of John Sweetman, to the National Museum (Irish Press, 25 Nov. 1936); 191pp.

XI.ii. Loose cuttings

MS 47,612 /1 1867, 1878

Pages from the Weekly Freeman’s Journal (30 March 1867) and L’Italie from 26 April 1878; 2 items

MS 47,612 /2 1878-1880 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; 8 items

MS 47,612 /3-5

1880-1962, undated Newspaper cuttings relating to Sweetmans involvement in the settlement at Currie, Minnesota; c.250 items in 3 folders

MS 47,613 /1 1889 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; 2 items

MS 47,613 /2 1891 Newspaper cutting on current affairs and politics; 1 item

MS 47,613 /3 1892 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.20 items

MS 47,613 /4 1893 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c. 40 items


MS 47,613 /6 1895 Full newspapers; 5 items


MS 47,613 /8-11

1895 Newspaper cuttings relating to John Sweetman resignation of his seat by being appointed Steward of the Manor of Northstead in April 1895; c.400 items in 4 folders

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MS 47,614 /1 1895-1905 Newspaper cuttings relating to agricultural improvements, especially in county Meath; c.120 items




MS 47,614 /5 Undated [c.1890s] Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.100 items


MS 47,614 /7 1900-1901 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.20 items






MS 47,615 /1-3

1909 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.200 items in 3 folders

MS 47,615 /4 Undated [1900s] Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.20 items


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MS 47,615 /6 1911, 1913

Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; 5 items


MS 47,615 /8 1915, 1917 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.25 items








MS 47,616 /5-6

1936 Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.25 items in 2 folders

MS 47,616 /7 Undated [1920s-1930s] Newspaper cuttings on current affairs and politics; c.50 items

Sweetman Family Papers - National Library of Ireland lists/156_SweetmanPapers.pdf · Sweetman...

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